Sea Salt Ice-Cream
by ChaoticallyInsane
Summary: They've been asleep for so long now. It's about time we woke them up, don't you think? This world is changing. There are so many new things that they need to understand . . . Sequel to You're The One Who Will Open The Door, Sora x Oc
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ZERO: PROLOGUE**

 **HIXARI**

 **"Courage doesn't happen when you have all the answers. It happens when you are ready to face the questions you have been avoiding your whole life."  
\- Shannon L. Alder**

* * *

 _ **"THE LONG ROAD** ahead lies something unique. However, in order to claim it, you must lose something that is dear to you . . ."_

I was never one to brag. I hated it, in fact. It was a sign of being self-centered. Though, just this once, I wanted to brag. _I knew it_.

It was pretty obvious. There was something different about the boy. He had approached the castle in high hopes and spirits, something that rarely happened around these parts. He had stood in front of the doors with his two friends on either side of him. His blue eyes had scanned the bronze and dark green exterior with confusion. It was then when I knew that the Organization was going to try to tear him apart bit by bit. Genuine people didn't survive in places like this; he was doomed from the beginning.

This place wasn't supposed to exist. It inhabited things that even we did not know about, nor had any business knowing. They thought they had this place figured out. The white walls, the white rooms, it all meant nothing to them. I knew that it meant something despite what they thought. It meant endless oblivion. This castle was nothing more than a curse to everyone who ventured inside. But, they didn't care.

They were plotting something . . . something that they shouldn't have. They wanted the Keyblade Bearer to lose his memories within himself. I didn't ask why. I stayed exactly where I was, just like the redhead had told me to, and avoided getting too involved in the whole situation. Neither of us should have been here. I shouldn't have brought _her_ here. I should have left _her_ where _she_ was so that _she_ could have been rescued. But, _she_ had been rescued too many times. It was time for _her_ to gather herself.

We watched through hidden halls as the boy and his comrades went through the trials. His memory was deteriorating. He was losing sight of his friends. He had also finished off so many of our numbers during his journey throughout the castle. Larxene, Marluxia, they were all gone. Even Vexon and Zexion were gone . . . thought it hadn't been by the hands of the Keyblade Bearer.

It was the redhead who had committed the acts. He was trying to keep everyone from opening their big mouths, and to keep the drama at bay. He didn't care about anyone else one bit. He set them ablaze with a snap of his fingers, watching them combust. I didn't argue when he told me that his business was done here . . . that it was time for us to leave.

That was the last I had seen any of them. Last I heard, she was going to replace that boy's memories. That was nice. It must feel great to get everything that you lost back. I wish I had the pleasure of doing the same.

* * *

 **So, that was a brief recap of everything that happened in Chain Of Memories since that whole storyline was really uneventful. Hopefully, this should explain a bit of it, but not too much. I tried to be as vague as possible, even though it really annoyed me. The rest of it will be told later.**

 **But anyways . . . Yay, Kingdom Hearts 2 is here! I'm very excited! I'd also like to say that you need to be sure that you have read the first book or this one is going to make no sense at all to you. But, anyways, I'm ready to get started with this one. I love hearing all of you guy's theories about what you think is happening. Tell me what you think!**

 **~ Insane**


	2. Missing Friends

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE: MISSING FRIENDS**

 **HIXARI**

 **"My heart may be bruised, but it will recover and become capable of seeing the beauty of life once more."  
\- Paulo Coelho**

* * *

 **"HAVE YOU GUYS** seen Axel around?"

It was nearly the tenth time that I had said those words in the past five minutes. Of course, I felt stupid for asking everyone in sight, but I couldn't help it. What other option did I have? The redhead had a bad habit of disappearing without informing anyone. Granted very few people around here actually cared. The ones who _did_ give a damn were left wondering if the man was off getting himself into trouble. No . . . if it had anything to do with him, we _knew_ that he was off causing a ruckus somewhere. I just liked to think that he wasn't. It helped my nerves to think that he was doing actual missions instead of chasing something that we knew we weren't going to get back.

 _Damn it, he could've at least told me._

The tall blond shook his head before letting out a sigh. No one knew where he was, yet everyone _knew_ where he was.

He was out after number thirteen like Xemnas had told him to. We all were supposed to be out searching for him. I just didn't want Axel to. He wouldn't be able to carry out his mission. If anything, he was out spying on him, waiting for him to admit that he had gone bonkers and come back to the castle. We all knew that it wasn't going to happen, though. That was why—even if some of us didn't want to—we were sent out to eliminate him. To eliminate the boy who had left us . . . the traitor.

Demyx ran a gloved-hand through his mullet. I knew that he was having a tough time with this as well. He and number thirteen weren't as close as they could have been, but they were friends nonetheless. The kid had managed to grow inside of everyone's hearts . . . if any of us had one. We saw him as a little brother. One who had gotten fed up and left. For that, the command of ending his existence didn't seem fair to some of us. That was probably why Axel was hardly home anymore. He was never there when I knocked at his door with coffee, or when I wanted his company. He was trying to get his little brother back.

"You already know where he is," Demyx answered as if agreeing with my thoughts. "He heard that some of the other members were going out looking for Roxas, so he left, too. He's a big softie, ya know. He still thinks he can convince him to come back."

My silver eyes trailed up to the ceiling. It wasn't like he was never out there. It was a constant cycle of dream chasing. His priorities were already set in that spontaneous mind of his. He already decided what he was going to devote his time to. He wasn't going to allow the boy to fade away—not without a fight, at least. Not without turning my hair gray in the process.

I pulled the black hood off of my head so that I could see better. Locks of black hair fell down my back from where it sat in my ponytail. Some of it drifted around my face to form the cut-across bangs that I always wore. It lacked any style, but it was better than wearing the hood.

"I wish he'd just stop. He's only going to end up hurting himself more by going out to see him," I murmured.

"Yeah, but it's not like he has a heart to hurt in the first place." Demyx snorted.

Once again, the punk bonehead was right. Not that I would ever admit it to him. I didn't want to admit that we held no warmth in our chests, no feelings like they did in the novels we read. We didn't get fuzziness in the pits of our stomachs. We didn't experience racing pulses when we cared about someone. It was hollow, completely dead to the world around us.

It had been years since I had lost mine; it was still upsetting. One would think that they could get used to the empty feeling. It was the opposite. It only made the longing to feel grow stronger than it had been in the first place. It made one miserable with the thought that they couldn't _be_.

Demyx sent me a small smile. "Hey, have you checked on _her_ lately? _She's_ been sitting there in cold storage for about a year now. It wouldn't be surprised if _she_ had six pounds of dust on _her_. Poor kid."

It was the third time that he had been right. I mumbled out goodbyes to the blond rocker and threw my hood back over my head, summoning a portal to leave. _Damn him. When had he become such a smart ass?_

It had been months since I had last seen _her_. How old would _she_ have been by now? Fifteen—sixteen in a few months? I stepped through the dark portal, watching as everything around me went black. _She_ had been taken to the mansion in that world in hopes of not being found. No one knew where s _he_ was, and the ones who did wanted her peace just as much as I did. It was a make-believe world created by him, after all. What better place to hide her than in a place she would have ruled?

I was back in the dusty, old mansion when I stepped out of the portal. The walls were dark, ridden with paintings that had been collecting dust for months. The wooden flooring was decaying and chipping away. Cobwebs stood in far corners of the room. It was a shame to think that it had once been glamorous; it was in desperate need of restoration now. Sadly, no one had the time for that. So, it sat here, wasting away and housing secrets that needed to be kept hidden.

 _She_ was on the top floor. _Her_ body was sat on the dusty, dirty floor, _her_ weight leaning against the wall. _Her_ head was tilted at an angle that was surely uncomfortable. _Her_ eyes were closed, letting _her_ long lashes cast shadows on _her_ pale cheeks. _She_ had grown in _her_ time here. _She_ smelled of dust and stale air, a scent that _she_ must have gained from staying in the abandoned mansion.

It was weird so see _her_ again after all this time. _She_ had been sleeping for so long that _she_ had nearly escaped my mind. My hand reached out to touch the necklace around _her_ neck. That damned necklace that I had fought so hard to keep from resurfacing. _No one ever got their wishes, did they?_

A loud crash from outside of the mansion grabbed my attention. I stood up, leaving her where she was, before slowly walking to the dusty window a few feet away. _What the hell was that?_

There were clusters of trees outside. The forest had kept the house concealed within its own secluded area. It was for a reason. The plan had been for no one in the bustling Twilight Town to find it. So far, the plan had worked . . . up until then. The iron front gate had so many chains and locks wrapped around it that it was impossible to get in without the usage of portals. The grass around the house appeared manicured still—no one had been here. Well, other than a slippery, silvery Nobody that crawled out of the woods.

It propped itself up by the front gates. It was leading something over to it. A blond boy chased after it, his face filled with wonder and determination. I almost smiled. It was him.

The Nobody creature swayed its hips gracefully. It didn't flinch as Roxas pulled out a blue, fake sword, and got into a fighting stance. He was going to fight it. He swung the sword at the Nobody, only for it to go right through it. He wasn't as fast as he used to be, that was for sure. The Nobody spun around and stretched its limbs to attack the blond. They collided with his chest, sending him flying back onto the grass. He must have realized then that his little sword wasn't going to do anything against the creature. He looked confused as the sword in his hand began to glow. The light left behind the iconic weapon that he once held proudly. The Kingdom Key.

"Atta boy, Roxas," I whispered, not wanting to let Naminé know that I was here.

She was in this mansion as well, but not under the Organization's orders. She was here with a different party. I didn't want to screw things up by alerting them that _she_ was here. They could only have ended badly.

His memories were long since erased. He didn't know what he was doing out there. Yet, he still knew how to hold his own. He gripped the Keyblade's handle, attacking the Nobody. It had worked this time. Three fatal hits were all that it took to leave the Nobody in a gathering of mist. The creature had left a pile of photographs behind on the grass. But, that wasn't what I was focused on.

My gaze had wandered over to the foliage surrounding the house. There was something different about it. A red spike of hair was hiding behind one of the larger trees. I almost chuckled. Demyx was right; he was right here after all.

"He's eventually going to remember." My head turned, watching as the girl sat there in peaceful silence. "It's about time . . . don't ya think?"


	3. Chakrams

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO: CHAKRAMS**

 **HIXARI**

 **"I would rather walk with a friend in the dark than alone in the light."**

 **— Helen Keller**

* * *

 **PERHAPS I HAD** been a tad bit stoic lately.

My blank face had become as much of a part of me as the silver in my eyes, or the black in my hair. It lied hidden in the shadows of the bedroom I had yet to leave. There was no purpose in it these days. My lips remained in their thin line, having long forgotten the pleasures of anything. I had fallen victim to the true nature of my existence—nothing.

It wasn't uncommon. In a place where all everyone knew was nothing, my symptoms of desolation were typical. In fact, it was celebrated. The ones who cared the less carried out things that others couldn't. They were the most successful ones.

Heartless, cold, and unfeeling . . . that was the way of our people. I supposed the actions of my peers had rubbed off on me sooner rather than later.

My usual silence had been interrupted by the sound of my bedroom door opening. It forced an eerie creak to resonate through the dark room. A ray of light from the other side of the cracked door flashed a streak of white on my dresser. It brought life to the light gray, metal walls, and matching flooring. Through the rectangular hole in one of them—a makeshift window for those who craved a view—neon signs from the city below the castle gleamed. They never turned the things off, making it hard to get the room pitch black while I slept.

A person emerged from the light of the door. Their boots echoed footsteps; their black hood was thrown over their head to conceal identity. It made it difficult to tell who it might have been. It could have been any of the members that inhabited the floating castle. Though, there were only four members who walked into my quarters without so much as a knock. That, and the long, thin limbs should have been enough to narrow the options down.

The person's gloved-hand shut the door behind them when they were in. The room had once again been enveloped in the dark solitude it had previously. Other than the neon lights outside, there was no sign to prove that my suspicions were right. And they were, for the person reached up to pull the hood off, neon lights flashing against fiery hair and green eyes.

The man scratched the side of his face sheepishly, right under his eye where the diamond-shaped marked sat, and a sigh of relief escaped my lips at the image. Thankfully, it wasn't Xemnas coming in to tell me that I had to go out looking for Roxas. Due to my newfound nonchalant attitude, I had become his favourite to pick at. He knew that I would have no trouble.

Of course, I wouldn't have, had I not saw the boy a few days ago. He already had enough hell coming his way. He didn't need my presence adding on to it.

"Sorry if I woke you up." His reserved tone sounded genuine, but it was obvious he didn't really care.

He, too, didn't seem to give a damn about anything as of late. His whole demeanor had changed since the happenings involving Roxas. He had began to be less sympathetic, whether it be in talking, or handling another's life.

I had witnessed him do things that would make one tremble. Things that would make the average person question his sanity. Even so, he didn't seem to have a problem with it, so neither could I.

"I heard you were looking for me."

I nodded, pointing a finger to the spot beside me on the small, white bed. "Sit."

He didn't object. His six-foot-three frame listened to my command and sat. The crappy mattress groaned at the added weight, but neither of us paid attention to it. He had already been staring at his nails, and I had busied myself with studying his face. It was something that I had saw countless times. However, this time, it seemed aloof.

The flicker in his eyes revealed that something was off. His lips were tilted down in the corners, and his thin eyes were narrowed far too much to be able to see out of. Similar to an untamed lion, his presence came with a sense dominance, like everything else in the room was inferior to him. It was for show, clearly, but his large towering body and blank face made it believable.

The look on his features was reckless. It was almost as if he was telling me that he had done something stupid. I prided myself on being able to read his face better than anyone. And as his eyes trailed up to the ceiling, I sighed. My suspicions were correct for the second time.

"What did you do, Axel?"

"I found Roxas," he answered, blandly.

The colour drained from my face. That was why he had turned on "alpha male" mode. It was because he was defenseless. He had found the person that he shouldn't have. He was trying to protect himself both mentally, physically, and, once upon a time, emotionally.

"He looked so different," he continued. "I mean, he looked the same, but he looked happier or something. I don't know."

"He has a—quote, unquote—life again," I pointed out. "No more black cloaks, no more hiding, no more white bedrooms, no more missions, no more . . . being an empty shell. Wouldn't you be different if you got away?"

He shrugged his shoulders and moved to lie back on the bed. When he threw a thin arm over his face to shield his eyes from the outside light, I knew that everything was bothering him.

I decided to change the subject. "I went to see her."

That made him sit up again. "How? I thought you hid her in the old mansion in Twilight Town. Aren't those guys still in that place? I thought it would've been hard to see her. You didn't get caught?"

I shook my head at all of his questions. "No. I snuck in. I just wanted to check if things were all right."

"And you call me the reckless one, huh?" He joked. "What would you have done if you got killed? If you faded away?"

"Then, I'd just be gone. You of all people should know important she is to me . . . to us. You've done so much for her, don't you at least want to know if she's okay?"

He shrugged his shoulders again. "I guess . . . How is she?"

"Okay. She's doing better. She grew a lot in the past few years."

"Still small?" he asked, and chuckled once I nodded. "Same ol' Short Stuff."

A silence had developed around us after that. What else were two hollow bodies supposed to communicate about? We had very little happening around us as it was, but our time apart had forked something large between our bond. No . . . our existence had wedged us in different directions. How could one communicate with someone who barely liked anyone, let alone himself?

I lied back on the white bed. That was how we were meant to spend the rest of our days. We were meant to carry on as people without much purpose. Roxas' presence had softened the blow while he was here, giving us the option of "friendship" to rely on. Now, there was nothing to do—partially because so many things had changed. We were off on our own adventures, some more than others, and not really having time for each other anymore.

Him being here was the first time that I had laid eyes on Axel all week. Opposed to us spending almost every waking moment together like we used to, things had clearly switched up.

A finger tapped against my forehead, shifting against the hairs that my created my bangs. Long and calloused; my eyes looked around in search of the man they belonged to. Practically glowing green ones had bore into mine before they even met. With a sigh, he wrapped his hand around my bicep, and forced my upper-half into a sitting position. It took very little effort. The chains of my cloak rattled against my chest in near protest.

"Hey," he breathed. "Come with me. Let's go do something fun."

"Like what?" I asked.

It wasn't uncommon for his versions of fun to be something bad. He could find amusement in fading away if he was in the mood for it. Thrill and adrenaline was what he thrived off of, and I couldn't say that I was the same. It was all the more reason for me to be suspicious of his request. If he wanted me with him, his intentions surely weren't the purest.

The redhead stood up, pulling my body right along with him. "You're always asking questions. Just relax and come on, will ya? Have some faith in me."

I sighed. Axel was one of my best friends, after all. Turning his offer down made me realize how rare it was for us to be together, anyways. So, when I nodded my head in silent agreement, he lifted his hand to create a portal for us to go through.

He didn't say anything else; he simply threw on his hood. His hand had reached out to grab mine, forcing it over my head like I was a child who couldn't do it herself. That wasn't the case, of course, but there wasn't much room for protest. He grabbed my arm, and pulled me into the portal behind him before I could get a word out.

It was beyond me what he was planning. It was hard to figure out things when he was involved. All that I knew was that it wouldn't be something safe nor fun, and I highly doubted that he was taking us out for ice-cream. He wasn't the type of person to just hang out anymore. He liked to stir things up. Me being with him was his favourite excuse to show out, though I prayed that he would show me different just this once.

The portal led to the empty city streets of Twilight Town. The sky dances in tones of oranges and blues; the wind brought about breezes and whispers of teenagers on their summer vacation. Of course. Someone like me shouldn't have guessed otherwise—someone who knew exactly what the hell he wanted. He wanted nothing more than to drag me alone with him to find Roxas. And in that moment, I didn't know what was more disappointing: the fact that he was still stressing about him, or the fact that he had whisked me away to follow his own sorrows.

I snatched my arm out of his grip as the portal vanished behind us. The look he gave me was obviously confused about my sudden attitude. He should have known why. There was not a person in these worlds more against seeing Roxas than I was. That said, I walked down the tiled streets without him, ignoring the furrowing of his small brows.

There was no reason why we should have been in Twilight Town. We were some of the only ones who knew of Roxas' whereabouts. I knew that neither of us had it in each other to terminate the kid, as shocking as that sounded. He didn't even remember who we were. There was no point in hunting him down if we weren't going to hurt him, and he couldn't remember where he was last year. It was Axel's way of being problematic, something that I was starting to wonder if he enjoyed.

His long legs took long strides to catch up with me. In fact, he passed me up, strolling past as if I wasn't there to begin with. I sighed, jogging after him. Just like there was no point in us being here, there was no point in ruining our own little personal reunion with a change in mood. He must have came to that conclusion, too, for he had slowed down to allow me to fall into step beside him.

The town was usually bustling with beings of different races, ages, or species. There seemed not to be a dull moment in the quaint area. From ringing clock towers to battle arenas, there were things to keep the active youth busy. The same went for adults, who occupied themselves with train trips and thriving businesses. Though, today was different. I had yet to hear someone actually communicating, or to see someone pass for that matter. It felt like the whole world was on an endless standstill.

The further we went into the town, the more I could see that I was right. The people who had been walking along the streets weren't moving. Instead, they were seemingly frozen in place, smiling on their lips like they were unaware of what was happening. None of them moved an inch. Especially one elderly woman, who stayed glued to her spot next to her still-standing poodle.

I glanced up at Axel, raising an eyebrow. "Did you do this?" I questioned.

For someone in his very early twenties, his answer sure was sarcastic. "As much as I hate to tell you no, I'm sayin' it this time."

"Well, if you're not doing it, then—"

"Munchkin, look."

He pointed a gloved-finger to the Town Square. Banners and balloons were hanging all around the area, promoting something called a Struggle Tournament. A chalkboard sat in the corner to keep score of what I was guessing competitors. And in the center of it all, people in their younger years were gathered around something either of us had yet to see. It must have been the battle arena from our previous visits here. However, it wasn't much of one anymore now that the residents weren't moving.

My gaze followed his finger toward the familiar blonde in the middle of the Town Square. Four Nobodies—pesky Dusks, to be exact—were closing in on him from all sides. Yet, his face wasn't contorted in fear like I had been expecting. His blue eyes were squinted in concentration, his brows were pulled low, and his stance wasn't that of a pushover. He had tightened his grip on his Keyblade before jumping into battle with the Nobodies. It was the total opposite of how things played out when I last saw him.

His form was still sloppy, though. He fumbled all over the place trying to gain leverage against his enemies. For creatures as cunning and swift as the Dusks, getting over on them wouldn't be an easy task for someone like him. But, he continued to fight with everything he had in him, and after bringing down the Key on the last one standing, it, too, faded away. He wasn't completely back to himself, but the traces of it were reappearing. Ever the excellent fighter, he had once been.

Noticing it, too, Axel laughed, clapping his hands together in mock amazement. It had scared the daylights out of the younger boy, who had turned to look at us with eyes the size of saucers. I supposed he hadn't been expecting for people to be moving in the standstill world. Nonetheless, it was enough to spark a flame within my other friend.

"Roxas, all right! Fight, fight, fight," he fake cheered, clapping louder.

Roxas didn't respond to his taunting, and I didn't blame him for it. The boy wasn't exactly in his full state of mind. Axel's teasing must have been far more threatening than it really was, even for someone who once had the strength to fight back against him.

Axel took a few steps closer to Roxas to close the distance a bit. It surprised me . . . how anxious the sound of his boots made me. He was never one to hold back once someone pissed him off, and Roxas was stretching his limits lately. It made me nervous for the both of them. For the impending fight that was sure to come. So, I had moved to follow him in an attempt to keep them from each other. Although, it was short-lived since Axel held his arm out to stop me.

I glared at his back hard enough to burn holes had our roles been reversed. He wanted me to stay out of his way. I should have figured as much. He hadn't brought me here to come looking for our best friend. He brought me here as back up—to stop him if he got to riled up. If using me like that wasn't such an Axel thing to do, I didn't know what was.

He walked closer once he seen that I was no longer following. "You really don't remember? It's me. You know . . . Axel."

His hands reached up to pull the hood off of his head. Red spikes spilled out and around his shoulders; green eyes pierced through anything and everything. He was revealing his face in hopes of jogging the teenager's memory. It didn't. Rather, Roxas stared over at him in confusion, not saying a word.

He was an idiot for trying. Roxas wouldn't remember anything.

"Axel?" the blonde repeated.

At that, Axel rolled his eyes. "Talk about blank with a capital B. Man, oh man, even the Dusks aren't gonna crack this one."

There it was. That sense of annoyance that I knew would surface. It was where I came into play. Because that was all that I was good for nowadays, I supposed. Fighting for Xemnas and being Axel's "yes man" was my only occupation.

Axel held out his hands, summoning his weapons. Bursts of fire engulfed his hands; I had to lean away from the sudden wave of heat. And when they died out, his silver and red chakrams were left in their wake. Eternal Flames, they were called, or Weapons of Mass Destruction for lack of a better term. Depending on his mood and severity of the situation, the way he used them could be harmless or fatal. I just hoped that he had enough sense left in him not to use them against Roxas.

Roxas stepped back at the sight of his weapons. "Wait a sec, tell me what's going on!" he demanded.

Wouldn't we all like to know.

Axel turned his head to look at me through the corner of his eye. "This town is his creation, right?"

His creation . . . I nodded. We didn't exist, and neither did this world. Technically speaking, that was. It existed somewhere . . . just not here. This place didn't exist in the endless passageways of space. It was all something that he created for convenience. Why he needed to be reminded of that, I couldn't figure out.

"That means we don't have time for a Q and A." He flashed Roxas a small smirk. "You're coming with me, conscious or not. Then you'll hear the story."

"What?" I threw the hood off of my head as he got into a fighting stance. "What are you talking about? We didn't come here to take him. I didn't come here for that. Don't—"

He cut me off before my rant could continue. "Relax. Jeez, I leave for a few days and all your trust in me vanishes." He sighed, shrugging his shoulders at Roxas. "Women, what are you gonna do with 'em . . ."

"This isn't a joke—"

I wouldn't have minded reprimanding him for what I knew he was about to do, but things didn't turn out that way. The ground began to shake from vibrations caused by who knew what. I stumbled a bit, my words falling short until they were nothing but squeaks. The both of them took that as a chance to ignore me, going back to their conversation once the tremors stopped. I supposed my warnings would have done no good, anyways.

"What's going on?" Roxas snapped again.

"Number thirteen: Roxas," Axel started. "The Keyblade's chosen one."

"Okay, fine! If you aren't gonna talk, you asked for it!"

The redhead's smirk grew a tad bigger. "Now that's what I like to hear!"

He charged at the boy at full speed. One second he was there, and the next he wasn't; I looked around the field for him in confusion. So had Roxas, who sprinted out of the way when a wall of flames were sent in his direction. It wasn't one of his stronger tactics, but it could definitely do some damage. That much was obvious in the way Roxas's shirt caught on fire. The boy patted out the flames to salvage his white jacket. It wasn't fast enough, though, for Axel had set his chakrams ablaze, and hurled them in his direction.

I had been focusing on worrying about myself lately. It was what one did if they wanted to survive in our line of work. Regardless if we were an Organization or not, we were still lone-wolves in ways that were understandable. But, as I stood there watching my best friends fight, something in me wouldn't allow it. I couldn't do it. I couldn't not do anything about the situation they were in. Even if Axel wasn't using his full potential, it was still too much for Roxas right now. Empty or not, what would I be if I let my little brother be beaten down?

I opened my palms in front of me, then. With a flash of light, blocks of steel appeared within them, melting away to reveal a rod of metal in each palm. A thick, metal chain connected them at the end. It was my given weapon—nunchucks—though I doubted they would do me any good in the current situation. My hands gripped onto each one and pulled the apart, the chain extending until it pooled around my feet. The silver blade popped up on one of the nunchucks. If I was going to do something, I was going to need my chain-sickle.

I swung around the sickle a few times by its chain, throwing it at the flaming chakrams heading toward Roxas. Luckily, the weapons collided, the chakrams getting entangled in the sickle before they could reach him. I yanked the chain back, and they came flying backwards. Both my weapon and Axel's came clanging around my feet. The flame on the chakrams had died out by then, just like the thrill of the fight.

The chakrams disappeared in a fit of light. They reappeared in Axel's hands, whom willed them away with a frown.

"All right, all right. I get it." He waved me off.

I willed my weapon away as well. The thing was, Axel didn't get it. Granted, we were not sympathetic people with hearts, but he should have been able to see how overwhelmed Roxas was. He couldn't move like he used to. He couldn't react like we used to. I should have known, both Axel and I spent our time teaching him how to defend himself. Hell, Axel even more than me in most cases. Was it the memories that made me want to protect Roxas, or was it the bit of "caring" that I felt when he was around? If one could call it that.

Roxas opened his mouth to spout more questions. However, he jumped at the sound of the portal of darkness spawning behind him. All three of us turned to look at it with renewed interest. It hadn't been Axel who had summoned it. Rather, it was a man bound in belts and buckles who stepped out of it.

His entire head was wrapped in red fabric save for his eyes and mouth. Black belts secured the fabric in place. It matched the scarf around his neck and the burgundy cloak blowing around him. His sleeved arms were clasped together behind his back. His presence was strong, I concluded, for once he stepped further, all of us must have felt like taking a step back.

Him.

"So, it was you," Axel grumbled to him.

He wasted no time in summoning his chakrams again, throwing them and flames at the man. He was never one to talk out things. I hadn't expected any less. He was always straight for the fighting—a more "fight now and ask questions later" type of guy. When one had the strength to back it up, he could do as he pleased.

But, the chakrams bounced away from the man as if he had a shield protecting him. Axel's surprised expression spoke for itself. He hadn't been anticipating that happening, and neither had we.

The man turned to the blonde almost urgently. "Roxas, this man speaks nonsense!" he said, motioning toward the redhead.

Axel scoffed. "Roxas, don't let him deceive you!"

"Roxas!"

"Roxas!"

The two men began shouting at Roxas to get them on their sides. Seeing as how Roxas was living a semi-normal life up until now, the pressure was starting to get to him. Even I could see that. His gaze bounced back and forth between the two yelling men. And before I could do anything to save him for it, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed on the ground.

He had passed out due to too much happening.

Axel stared at his limp body with furrowed brows. I sighed, wrapping my small hand around his arm to pull him away from the scene.

"Come on," I urged. "It's time for us to go, Axel."

* * *

 **This was one of my most hated chapters. *sighs* I'm so glad that it's edited now. The word count is a bit over doubled, too!**

 **~ Insane**


	4. A World Of New Possibilities

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE: A WORLD OF NEW POSSIBILITIES**

 **HIXARI**

 **"Sleep is my lover now, my forgetting, my opiate, my oblivion."**

 **— Audrey Niffenegger**

* * *

 **3rd Person P.O.V.**

* * *

 **OF ALL DAYS,** this one had to be one of the most beautiful of them all.

Phone poles and palm trees rose high in the skies, competing with the sunset in terms of casualty. Bushes growing tropical flowers lined up the sandy paths on the hills. They were covered in green grass, reflecting off light from the orange clouds hanging above. Dragonflies and cicadas took shelter in the tropical foliage with plans on coming out later in the evening. Hummingbirds and butterflies flocked to the breeze for means of entertainment. It was a Thursday, after all. Tranquility here was almost at its all-time high.

Kairi had been walking up one of the many hills, her brown school bag swinging contently in her hands. It was rare for her to see days such as this one—days where everything looked perfect and peaceful. It was everything that she herself had been anything but lately. Though, she wasn't one to complain about it.

"Kairi, wait up!"

She tore her gaze away from the dancing dragonflies in search of her friend. As per usual, Selphie was seen jogging up the hill to reach her. They were both in the same after-school club. The two of them walking together was nothing out of the ordinary, and so was Kairi's admiration for the scenery on the way home. She couldn't count how many times she had accidentally left Selphie behind because she was busy watching the sunset. Not that it seemed to bother the ginger, for a merry smile graced her features when Kairi slowed down.

She hadn't changed much in the past year or so. Now a proud second-year in their high school, she was still the same dedicated, sweet girl she was back then. But, the differences were prominent, too. Her hair, once a short, bright red, now fell past her shoulders in choppy strands the color of wine. Her height had grown to push five-foot-seven at the least. She couldn't say that she was the same little girl from before, but a developing young woman with the brains to match. Despite having not changed one bit, she had changed the most at the same time.

Selphie jogged to catch up to the girl. Her orange curls bounced and sprang, having as much life in them as the life around them. She released a few shaky breaths from moving so fast. Especially in their blue, plaid uniform skirt, which was never fun to do _anything_ physical in.

"Hey, do you feel like going out to the island?" she asked after gaining her breath. "They made Tidus the varsity blitzball team coach since he graduated last year, so he can't go with me. Wakka, too—he's been super busy ever since he tied the knot with Lulu."

Their world was split into two sections: the main island, and the sub-island. The main island was where everyone lived, where the schools were, where the shops were, and where everyone preferred to stay nowadays. The sub-island was where the secret cave and the paopu tree lied, only to be reached by boat for those who wanted to venture out to it. Kairi hadn't been to that place in a long while. In fact, it had been ten months, probably, since she even considered stepping foot inside of her old boat. Because of that, she fell silent.

She wouldn't have minded going to hang out with Selphie. They were good friends; her company was something she took pleasure in. But, deep down, she knew that she couldn't return there. The sub-island hadn't felt the same over the months that passed. It had a different aura about it—one that pulled her stomach in ways she wanted to forget.

Kairi shook her head. "Not today. Sorry."

"Aw, why not?" Selphie jutted her bottom lip out in a pout.

Kairi stopped, then. Her dark blue eyes moved to scan over the orange and pink sky in admiration. It reminded her of it . . . the days of her standing idly by waiting for something to happen. Over time, she had began to forget what she was waiting for. Perhaps that was why her world felt like something had stirred in all of the wrong places.

"Do you remember those kids who used to hang out with us?" she asked her friend.

Selphie raised a brow at the sudden question. "You mean Riku and Sasuke?"

"Yeah." Kairi nodded.

"I wonder what happened to them. I sure miss them."

"They're far away," Kairi explained, softly. "But, I know we'll see them again."

A small smile had fitted across her lips as she recalled those times. Those, she hadn't forgotten. They were the memories of her best friends, the ones that she spent all of her days with. They were such loyal and fun people to be around. She remembered that she had trusted them with her life, and that they made every morning worth seeing. However, now . . . they were just figments of her thoughts, and they just weren't here with her anymore.

She often wondered if they thought about her, wherever they were. She surely thought about them whenever she got the chance. It was her way of holding onto her memories; losing something as precious as them wouldn't be something she'd forgive herself for. They _were_ the sub-island to her, which was another reason why she couldn't figure out why that place felt so odd.

Selphie beamed. "Sure. Of course we will."

"And the other boy?" Kairi whispered.

"What other boy?"

That was what she thought would happen. The sub-island . . . it sent chills down her spine whenever she came close to it. It felt like she was forgetting something that she had so desperately tried to hang on to. Yet, she couldn't place her finger on it, and every time she did, she could feel herself growing more frustrated for it.

"The one who was with Riku, Sasuke, and me all the time," she tried. "We played together on that island. His voice always used to be there . . . but, now it's gone. I can't think of his face, or his name. I feel awful about it. So, I told myself I'm not going to the island until I remember everything about him . . . and until he brings Sasuke back, just like he promised me."

Selphie seemed suspicious. "Are you sure you didn't just make him up? Well, anyways, my mom wants to see you. She says she's picked out more dresses for us."

"Oh, joy . . ."

Kairi had meant to make up an excuse, but one never got the chance to surface. It was her own body that interrupted her. Pulses shot around her skull hard enough to rake through her brain, pulling at her temples and the very base of her head. It was splitting, cutting off every other sensation just so that she would feel the pain. A more fatal version of a migraine, it felt, and Selphie nearly cried out when her redheaded friend fell to her knees, gripping her head.

One moment, she was fine. The next, she could barely stand.

It was not an everyday occurrence. She prided herself on her many home remedies for stress alleviation. It was the only caught of headaches for someone her age. Even then, what she was feeling was nothing compared to a little pounding caused by too much homework. It felt like someone was trying to force their way into her thoughts by literal terms. So much so that Kairi couldn't even _think_ of the pain, for that in itself hurt all too much.

"Naminé . . ." a strange voice called inside of her head. "What's happening?"

She was hearing things. That had never happened before, either. Suddenly, she couldn't figure out if it was actually because she had been thinking too hard, because of bad memories, or because she was losing her sanity.

Nonetheless, she tried her luck in responding. "Who are you?" she thought back. "And that's not my name. I'm Kairi."

"Kairi . . ." he repeated. "I know you. You're the best friend of the girl he likes."

 _He who?_

Above the pulsating, her mind was filling with thoughts and questions of the new unknown. She didn't know who she was talking to—if they were real, for that matter—or how they had gotten into her head. She didn't know who they were referring to when they spoke of another boy. It only succeeded in making the teenage girl more confused and hurt than she was.

"Who?" she asked.

The voice never responded. Nothing but silence followed her question, and she felt herself grow desperate for an answer.

"Please, a name."

"I'm Roxas . . ." the voice murmured.

She clutched her head. "Okay, Roxas, but can you tell me _his_ name?"

It wasn't the same voice who answered her next. The voice named Roxas had been seemingly replaced by one deeper than his. Though Roxas' tones held nothing but a calming, saddened state, the new one was warm, and filled with energy. Kairi dared to say that it was almost . . . familiar.

"You don't remember my name?" the new voice scoffed, playfully. "Thanks a lot, Kairi. Okay, I guess I can give you a hint. Starts with an 'S' . . ."

Her world had shifted because of that response. Not literally, most likely, but figuratively in a sense that it brought her into a world of new possibilities. It helped her remember things that had once been important to her. It opened her eyes, and finally . . . she remembered his name.

 _Sora._

* * *

 **"ARE YOU SURE** this is a good idea?"

Twilight Town had calmed down as far as excitement went. It had been sunset, the eternal dusk that settled over the world was present in the orange skies. Street lights and neon signs illuminated in the many streets. It was nothing out of normalcy, but it still gave the same glowy, warm effect every time. It was the world of illusion and friendship—one that I was forced to go hunting for yet again.

I had found it suspicious when Axel came into my room this morning. It was strange to see him in the castle, yet alone looking for my presence. He only wanted me around if he needed backup or anything of the likes, lately, which was why I took his form in reluctance. More specifically, when he asked me how I had felt that morning.

It was a trick question, of course, seeing as how we couldn't _feel_ anything. But, I told him that I had woken up with a strange aura about today's date. And maybe he was genuinely hesitant because of my warning. Though, I didn't think so, for he had pulled me into another portal in a heartbeat. I was his excuse . . . there was nothing more to it anymore.

He claimed that one should always act upon their impulses. It was better to do than to sit around thinking about what could be. It was something that he had been preaching for years—to live in the moment—something that fell upon deaf ears when it was practiced around me. As much as he liked being the forest fire spreading out of control . . . I didn't. I was the reasonable one, the one who kept his screws in, and it brought me no satisfaction to see anything the world had to offer like it did him.

So, when he marched through the streets of the little sleepy town, my expectations were nowhere near as high as his. My arms were crossed over my chest in rebellion; my high ponytail swung behind me in defiance. But, I still followed him. Despite the many situations that he got us into, he was still my friend, and I wouldn't have left him alone . . . impulsive asshole or not.

Axel placed a large hand on my head to ruffle my hair. He had let out a chuckle that rumbled deep within his chest; a hearty laugh if there ever was one. Leaning out of his reach, I swatted his hand away. Not that it did anything to stop him. He merely moved closer again, and put his fingers right back where they were. It wasn't a shocker that he didn't care about me wanting no part in his physical contact. In fact, it was expected.

"I'm sure it's a good idea," he repeated for the tenth time. "Would you have rather I'd left you alone in your tiny, little box of a room and came here myself? I figured this way, at least you get to get out. You're so pale nowadays. You almost look sick."

I let out a sigh, and uncrossed my arms. "Why are you here, anyways?" I mumbled. "You're usually gone. This is the most I've seen you for the past month."

"Why? You've been missin' me or something?"

"Yeah, right." I snorted. "It's just weird."

He seemed satisfied enough with my answer. "Yeah, I know. I just don't like it here. Besides, you said you have a bad feeling about today. You're pretty smart—I want to see if something is gonna happen. Can you blame me?"

"I hate to admit it, but you have a point."

"Exactly. I always know what I'm talking about," he said.

His legs moved faster to form longer, gliding strides across the tiles. He was a good height taller than me; he knew that I wouldn't have been able to catch up with him. But, no matter how much I rushed, he wouldn't slow down. It was like he was purposely trying to get away from me. To avoid further questions about his intentions, no doubt, yet it was still enough to leave me scrambling after him like a child.

That was, until his actions had came to a halt. His walking had suddenly stopped while I chased after him, sending the both of us stumbling a bit when I slammed into him from behind. And while I anticipated some comment about how I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, nothing but silence followed the collision. Rather, it was a rush of heat that happened next. It engulfed the area like it had been set ablaze to temperatures matching the sun itself. At that, I staggered backwards.

Axel had summoned his weapons. The two chakrams were gripped tightly in his hands with the promise of a fight. Rings of fire nipped at his palms, crackling something mean for unsuspecting enemies. It was a force to be reckoned with, for sure—a force I didn't know why he called upon now.

His tone was gritty as he spoke, "So, we meet again, huh?"

My framed leaned over to peek out from my spot behind him. It was obvious who it was. There was only one person Axel wanted to fight with as soon as he saw them. Standing just a few feet away was our blue-eyed friend, holding onto his Keyblade for dear life. He had dragged me here so that he could fight him again; he was the biggest ball of mixed emotions if there ever was one.

However, nothing ever became of the impending fight. At least, from what I had saw. My vision brightened up to a realm of white at that moment. Everything that had once been there and visible had faded to the color of light. There was nothing else, and once everything came back into focus, Roxas was no longer there.

Axel stood up straight, forcing his wild flames away with his weapons. It was beyond me as to what had happened. I had been preparing to break up a fight before everything went white. Now, Roxas wasn't here, and Axel was far too quiet for the average person to be comfortable.

He let out a long, heavy sigh. His shoulders had slumped as he turned around to face me. Eyes glued to the ground beneath our feet, he shook his head in both disappointment and disapproval. It was all the more confusing to me.

"The Roxas that we know is long gone," he stated.

It had finally happened. Whatever moment he and Roxas just shared was enough to make him come to terms with everything. He was realizing that nothing was going to change . . . that we both had lost a friend.

"Fine. I see how it is . . ."

I looked up at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly how it sounds." He held out a gloved-hand for me. "I bet he's going to the mansion. Let's go—"

"I'm not going with you," I interrupted.

"What do you mean _you're not going with me_?"

There was a time when people had to make decisions. I didn't know if mine had been the smartest, or the most practical in the given time, but I knew it was something that I had to do. Even though staying by Axel's side was something that I relished in, it wasn't where I needed to be. Deep down, I knew that he knew it, too. There were greater matters that I needed to attend to now that things were changing. My decision to leave him was something I had chose entirely on my own.

I took a step away from him, and called upon a portal of darkness. "You said that we should follow our impulses. I had a bad feeling about today. I'm going to go get her."

"You can't just go get her, Hixari." His tone was sharp. "If Roxas is going there, something must have happened. Either that or someone called him there. And where are you going to bring her to? Back to the castle? You'll just be giving her back to him. What about you? What if they catch—"

"She's still my responsibility—nine years later or not," I declared.

The expression on his face was unprecedented. His lips parted in confusion, his eyes were wide in surprise, and his brows knitted together in anger. Sure, they weren't really expressions moreorless facial movements, though the point still got across. He knew that I was right for once. On top of that, he knew that he couldn't stop me. My presence was needed elsewhere, whether he wanted it or not.

I walked through the portal in a fit of certainty. It was better to be safe than sorry when it came to her life . . . as ironically as that sounded. The new stoic Hixari had a soft spot for a teenager. And honestly, I would have believed it, had there been a heart inside of the hollow hole we called a chest.


	5. Gentle Slumber

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR: GENTLE SLUMBER**

 **HIXARI**

 **"If life was a dream, then dying must be the moment when you wake up."  
\- Ian McEwan**

* * *

 **THINGS WERE STILL** as I left it when I came back.

A smell too musky for the senses lingered in the stale air. Dust particles danced within the light beaming in from the windows. Cobwebs clung to the brown walls, connecting to both the ceilings, and the tiled flooring. Spiders were nowhere to be found, anyways, most likely have taken shelter under the white sheets thrown over the furniture. It could have been a pretty sight. It should have been a pretty sight.

Surely, a long time ago, this place was something to behold. There must have been people who adored this place like it was their own child, polishing up every nook and crany. It was a shame that it was no longer the case. One couldn't venture into the house without hearing the creaking floorboards, or smelling what could possibly be mold. It wasn't the best place to hide, but it was definitely the most isolated.

She still sat there. Her body was slumped against a bookshelf, her arms dangling beside her and her legs stretched out. Her head had rolled to the side in a position that should have been uncomfortable. Through the hair hanging in her face like a veil, it was easy to make out the solemn expression on her face. She hadn't been discovered. That in itself was reassuring.

My hand reached the small distance to move the strands away. The reason why . . . not even I could really tell. There was a certain . . . familiarity in looking at the girl's face. There was something all too remembering about it, and it puzzled me every time. However, I never got to that point.

Crashing noises from downstairs echoed up into the higher floors. My hand came to a sudden halt, freezing as if me moving would bring attention to where we were. There were risks, of course, in coming to a place such as this one. They were risks that I wasn't committed to risking.

I pulled my hand away with a quiet sigh. "Stay here. I'll be right back. I'm just going to check on whatever that was."

It wasn't like the lifeless girl could hear my words. It was a meaningless effort. But, somehow it still mattered to some extent.

Whether she could hear me or not, she was important . . . Not just to me, but to things and people greater than I. It was my job to make sure that nothing caused her harm while she was in a state like this. At least, a promise made several years ago entitled that. I couldn't go back on it now.

The long, black cloak danced around my form as I stood up. It was the curiosity that made me move; whatever that sound was earlier wasn't too far away inside the mansion. And if anything, it could have came from someone harmless . . . someone like Roxas. _If_ this was where he had ran off to.

Of course, my suspicions were proved correct.

I had sent the lifeless girl one last glance before opening the wooden door leading out of the room. It gave view to the rest of the mansion, revealing more cobwebs and broken furniture from age. It was everything within the ordinary for the ran down structure, but it was different all the same. To be exact, it was the confused blond boy at the bottom of the stairs that was unusual. He had fled here after the run-in with Axel.

He ran up in the steps, then, and I, in an attempt to not be spotted, hid beside one of the cupboards in the hallway. My back pressed flat against it to stay concealed in the shadows; my breath stilled to maintain the noise. Though it was a childish hiding spot, it worked, for he had went the opposite direction to the white room. The door closed behind him with a click, and I let out the breath I was holding.

If he was running around, it was clear that she couldn't stay here any longer. It wouldn't be a safe place if their plans for him were acting up. There was always the possibility that they could find her, and if that happened . . .

I had figured that if I kept her hidden away from the Organization, away from Naminé, away from the men controlling the fabricated world, she would be fine. It had been an excellent plan so far. But, now that things were changing in ways that I couldn't foresee, this was the last place she needed to be. Yet, where could I take her? It wasn't as if she could go back to the castle. That in itself was nothing but a death wish for the poor teenager.

Who could I run to in times like this? In those times where my best wouldn't be good enough, who could I turn to for help? It was the reality of my existence . . . there was no one but myself to rely on. Especially now that Axel had lost himself within the thought of who-knew-what, there was no one around to call upon. We were nobodies, after all. I supposed asking for help was for somebodies.

My chest felt heavy as I walked back into the study room. The only mission now was to leave the mansion. It was my job to get her out of here, to hurry this all along so that he would have something to return to when he came. Be it with someone's help, or by myself.

Bending down to the girl's height, my arms wrapped around her waist and under her knees. Her waist had managed to grow thinner over time, and her weight had dropped due to not eating. It made it easier for me to lift her up against my chest. And once she was settled in my arms, her head rolled to the side like that of a dead body.

Her long hair brushed around my leg in streams of black. Like everything else about her, it had grew quite a lot. All except for her height—she had probably received more of mother's genetics in that department. At that, I almost felt myself chuckle.

Nonetheless, I secured my grip on her, and rushed through the door with full intent on leaving. There could be a time in the far future where I could tell her how much she had changed . . . How much she looked like her, and how much she reminded me of him. That time couldn't have been now.

There were incoherent shouts that came from the white room across the hall. I did my best to pay it no mind as I scurried down the stairs. We could only be thankful that she was so light, but it should have been the least of my worries. What concerned me the most was the sudden footsteps that followed me down to the first floor. By then, I felt myself freeze.

I was never one to be spooked. It was hard to recall the last time that I had felt truly powerless in any situation. However, once the footsteps caught up to us, I felt cornered for the first time. Like I had lost what I had been trying to win.

It was it. I was busted. Whoever that person was could have ended my existence if they wanted to. They could have taken what I had been trying so hard to protect. All because I was not fast enough.

"Hey, you! What are you doing with that girl? What are you gonna do with her?"

My head slowly turned to the side, half expecting for a fight to break out. There was none. Rather, sky blue eyes stared back at me with a potential murderous intent. The best one he could muster, in fact, and I had to give it to him for being brave. It almost didn't seem him in the way he wielded the silver and gold Keyblade in his hands. He was _trying_ . . . just like I was.

A breath escaped from my parted lips. I turned my body to fully face the younger boy, mumbling about how things could have gone a lot worse. Which they could have, had one of _them_ decided to show up in his place. There was a large doubt that Roxas would try to take her away from me, but the same couldn't have been said for _them_. It was almost hard for me to admit that I was grateful for it.

His gaze was a hardened glare filled with hatred. It gave a sense of deja vu to see that look in his eye. It had been such a long time since he and I had fought, and even back then, he got over it within minutes. This look didn't seem so temporary. Though, what would make him see me like that again?

He glanced down at the unconscious girl in my arms. That was the reason why. He must have thought harm was to be brought upon her.

I let out a dry chuckle. "I'm not doing anything," I started, cautiously. "You shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"Then what _are_ you doing, Hixari?" Roxas snapped.

My gray eyes went wide at the mention of my name. There was no memory of me telling him, or Axel talking about me, for that matter. That being the case, him calling me my name rattled me up more than any enemy ever could have.

He seemed oblivious to my startled expression because he kept asking, "Who is that girl? Why isn't she moving? Why are you here? D-don't . . . don't make me u-use this thing!"

"How did you know my name? Do you remember me?" I questioned instead, and he shrugged his shoulders in reply. "What do you mean? I don't get it."

"Bits and pieces," he answered, shakily.

It figured. Roxas was regaining his memories after all, but none of it was enough to make a big impact. He was coming back slowly and surely. Yet, I didn't know if that was a good thing.

There were so many facts to take into account. This world didn't exist within the corners of space. Where we stood didn't exist out there. Roxas . . . didn't exist. Hell, neither did I. But, he was remembering where he came from, and that could prove fatal in the long run. Ignorance is bliss, as they say, and Roxas was definitely teetering on that thin line.

"You're that girl that stopped the fight between Axel and me the other day," he pointed out, to which I nodded in confirmation. "Axel was my best friend. I remember you; were you our friend, too? I recall things . . . but only in sections. They aren't making any sense to me."

I shook my head, my black ponytail swaying behind me with the movement. "I can't tell you that I was your best friend. That's something that you have to figure out for yourself, Roxas. I _will_ tell you that you were mine," I answered, truthfully. "If you're getting your memories back, do you remember her?"

He put his Kingdom Key away after realizing that I meant to harm. And, all in the same motion, his gaze roamed down to the girl in my arms once more.

"Was she my friend, too?"

"No. You've never met her. But, she was his."

Roxas continued to stare at her, taking my words in deeper. "So this is her? The one he was thinking about?" he mumbled. "Do you know where he is? I want to see him."

I frowned. Roxas was remembering a bit too much for my liking. He remembered memories that didn't even belong to him if he knew who she was. Not only that, but if he wanted to find him, he was gaining back things that he shouldn't have. Naminé was doing more than she needed to.

"Are you sure that you want to do that—"

He cut me off with an exasperated groan. "Just take me to him, Hixari!"

"All right, all right! Calm down," I tried.

This place was more than familiar during this point in time. There were times that I had to reevaluate its level of safety, and make sure it was a good place to leave something so valuable. For that reason only, I knew the whereabouts of those sleeping bodies—the ones that Roxas strived for. I wished that I hadn't.

It was never my plan to get mixed up in the affairs of other people. That included Roxas, whom was the closest thing to a friend that any of us had seen in years. It was never my intention to be the bearer of news such as this one. My plan was to take care of myself and my responsibilities; Roxas was no longer any of that. Yet, as he looked at me, those saddened eyes of his almost _pleading_ , it felt like what I wanted didn't matter anymore. He was my friend, after all. A friend that I couldn't leave alone in his time of need.

My boots created echoes against the old, wooden flooring as I walked throughout the common area. Roxas watched me in confusion, it seemed. And once he realized that I was giving in, that I was returning to my spot at his side, he bounded after me with determination.

It nearly took me by surprise when he lifted the girl out of my arms. _"I've got her,"_ he had said, but I knew the real reason why he had done it.

He needed all the help from me that he could get.

I sighed. I couldn't remember a time where Roxas wasn't putting me in a difficult position. It was what he did best. Though, it was good to know that even though his memory had vanished, he still remained the same teenage boy.

He followed me through one of the doors leading into the library in silence. His hands trembled where they stood wrapped around the girl's back and legs. _She_ was trembling. Not because she herself was, but because she was getting second-hand vibrations, Roxas' unsteadiness having shook the both of them. My eyes tore away from the sight in an attempt to keep focused. He needed someone who still had their head on straight.

Despite me not trying to pay attention, it was obvious that the closer we got, the more anxious he was growing. He had almost let her fall at one point. Gripping her tighter against his chest, he mumbled out apologies for his sweaty hands. I ignored him. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been too sure if I would have continued helping him.

They kept their bodies below the castle. It was the hardest place to reach for understandable reasons. However, I knew how, having spent a great deal of time here, anyways. It was only accessible through a secret passageway. And as I pulled a book from the library shelf, I was glad that I remembered how.

A bright light flashed throughout the murky room. Roxas took a step back, squinting his eyes to protect them from the purity of it. Though, when it cleared, it left behind a hole in the once wooden flooring. Nothing but a flight of gray stairs heading downward was there . . . underneath the castle.

He took a cautious step forward. Blue eyes peered into the hole in the floor, curious about where they led off too. Her dark hair swayed around his leg from the movement. Her head had rolled to lean against his arm, but he paid it no mind. He was too far caught up in the possibility that his answers were below. For that, I couldn't blame him.

"Are you coming with me?" he asked, turning his head to look at me. "This might be a stupid request, but I want to go through this with someone that lies within my old memories."

I didn't mean to stare at him the way I did. My expression was ridden with disbelief—with incredulous thoughts. His request for my presence was the last thing anyone would expect for the blond . . . more especially in moments like this. Yet, the look on his face was so genuine, and he gripped onto the unconscious girl in his arms like he had a purpose. He had meant what he said.

Roxas had always been the one with the most heart out of all of us, regardless if he didn't actually have one or not. He never asked for much throughout the entire time that I've known him. He just wanted to be normal and surrounded by his friends. If he was serious about wanting me there, I couldn't deny him that. So, risking everything and anything, I nodded my head in agreement.

We had been through so much together. There were countless memories of him, Axel, and me enjoying sea salt ice-cream stored within my mind. Just like the day long ago when he had arrived to the Organization, he didn't know what he was doing. He was such an emotionless, hollow body back then. Now, he was seeking out the boy who gave him an existence . . . trying to return what wasn't his in the first place.

I had always claimed that Roxas grew up faster than people twice his age did. Even to this day, he wasn't proving me wrong.

He was the first to walk down the flight of stairs. He was no longer shaking. Instead, his back was straight, and his head was held high. It showed just how much he was accepting all of this. In fact, I preferred it when he was trembling. At least then I knew there was an ounce of regret to fall back on. Now, there was none.

The room at the bottom of the stairs was large and boxed in. Dark blue coated the walls, neon green lights running through the floors to create a futuristic effect. All sorts of pipes and gears ran through the area. One would have guessed it to harbor scientists and inventors; it was more complicated than it should have. As if to further my guess, several computer screens sat hanging on the wall in the corner of the room. They reflected numbers that made no sense, though it was still enough to add onto the confusion of the room.

We walked further into the room quietly, almost as if we would disturb something that wasn't there. My eyes roamed all throughout the corners and crevices of the room. There could have been hidden things waiting to strike for all I knew. Yet, Roxas' focus remained on the computer set up a few feet away. From where I stood, I could see the monitor screens reflecting off his glossy eyes. His expression was close to unreadable.

I gave him his space in the end. My legs had carried me off into different spots in the room, searching for things that were not there. Or perhaps, I wasn't searching at all. I was looking for things to occupy myself from Roxas' business. It was better to let him figure things out by himself when it came down to it. In his quest for the unknown, he needed his moments to reevaluate everything.

The loud thud threw away that piece of mind.

My head whipped around fast enough for my ponytail to make a cracking sound in the air. My body had moved to its own accord, rushing over to where Roxas stood in front of the monitors. His eyes were squeezed tight, his light brows furrowed, and groans of pains slipped past his clenched teeth. His fingers had dug into the skin of the girl in his arms—tight enough to leave his handprints if he had wished it. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that he remembered something painful.

My hands darted out to grips onto his shoulders. "Roxas?" I called. "Hey? Roxas? What's going on?"

In a matter of seconds, the agony on his face disappeared like it was never there in the first place. His facial features softened. The breath he was holding in was the first to be released, followed by his eyes opening; all of it was at the pace of someone too weak to do much. Finally, he shook his head, telling me that what he was going through didn't concern me.

Tearing my eyes away from the younger boy, I mashed random buttons on the keyboard in front of us. One of them had to open the door to the next room. Thankfully, the twentieth attempt did it.

I wanted nothing more than to find out what was going on in that brain of his . . . to find out the meaning behind his sudden bursts. Be that as it may, there was no way for me to. There was no way that I could flat out ask him about his suffering. There was no way that he would tell me everything that had gone wrong in his existence up until now. Despite still harboring a spot for me, Roxas didn't _recall_ me. We were not on the same level that we had once been. And as I followed him through the newly opened doorway, I realized that he was in this all alone, even if I was by his side.

Such is the destiny of a Nobody.

The second room was the exact duplicate of the first one. The neon lights traveled through the floor to create the same familiar glowy hue. It went up through the walls in patterns at random. At the same time, there was nothing in this room to give it any means of significance. There were no computers, no clues to what we were supposed to do next. Although, there was something that the first room had lacked: the presence of someone other than us.

The other person had caught us off guard. That much was obvious. They knew it, too, for the way they stood in the center of the room was suffocating. Unimpressed, dominating, and unreadable all in one, the person who was watching us was none other than our other friend. Maybe a long time ago, he would have smirked. This, however, was the present, and no gestures were to be granted.

Axel's thin arms were crossed over his chest to appear as menacing as possible. His eyes were narrowed into slits—not specifically at me, but at the boy standing to my left. Once the echoing of his footsteps rang, and his frame began to glide closer, I felt a shiver run down my spine. I was all for seeing him . . . just not during critical times like this one.

He walked over to me first. His gloved hands had found their way to ruffling my hair, gently pushing me out of the way after he got his fix of me. I had seen it all before. It was his usual routine of telling me to stay out of his way, to stand back and watch as he carried out his business. And just like any other time lately, his business was with Roxas.

Like a lion on the prowl, he started to walk in circles around the boy. He was sizing him up; he clearly wanted to finish the fight from earlier that I had interrupted. It didn't matter to him that Roxas was holding the lifeless girl, or that now wasn't the time for it. He was going to get what he wanted by any means necessary. For that, Axel was way more condescending that he should have been.

"Simply amazing, Roxas," he congratulated, his tone dripped in mock enthusiasm.

The blond just watched him with a careful eye, making sure not to let go of the teenage girl. "Axel."

The redhead's expression went from fed up to slightly impressed. It was a compliment coming from him. His almond-shaped eyes went wide, and a ghost of a smirk tugged at his pink lips.

"You really do remember me this time? Or did that munchkin over there tell you who I was?" he asked, motioning a thumb toward where I stood on the sidelines. Either way, he let out a hearty laugh. "I'm _so flattered_! But, you're too late!"

There was no warning for what had happened next. A ring of flickering flames shot out from the ground, creating a ring of heat around the two boys. The flames danced in bursts of red and orange. Licks of them soared high enough to touch the ceiling. The heat radiating off of them made the temperature in the room raise by a good amount of degrees. Hot enough to make one sweat. It suddenly felt like a sauna, and though I couldn't see a thing passed the barrier of red and orange, I knew that the redhead was pissed off.

Not only that, but he had trapped Roxas _and_ the girl in there. It was hard to imagine Roxas holding his own now against a ticked off Axel, but having to do that _while_ holding onto her was damn near crazy.

For the first time in years . . . I was beginning to panic.

"Axel, don't hurt him!" I shouted. "Get her out of there! Have you lost your mind?!"

If I strained my eyes, I could catch sight of their images within the flames. The image of him summoning his chakrams to set them ablaze was visible. Roxas was simply looking around for a way out.

Axel's reply was assertive. "If he wants to hold onto her, that's his business."

"Because she's important!" Roxas cried.

"Not to you, kid. Acting on the will of someone else . . ." Axel shook his head. "I can't stand this anymore! That's it—time to burn, baby!"

The figures in the flames moved, then, rushing into a one-sided battle.

Axel couldn't have gave Roxas more than thirty percent of his strength, even if he was mad. He was too smart for that. There were times where Axel had done downright terrifying things to people without a second thought, yet I knew he couldn't hurt the two of them. He was just trying to let out his frustration. In fact, I knew if anything happened to Roxas—to her, for that matter—he'd be in a worse place than where he started off.

He was complicated, that was for sure. It took years of knowing him just to get to the level of understanding that I had. If not, I wouldn't have been so trusting.

The blond was doing his best to run around dodging Axel's attacks. I watched while the redhead faded into the ring of fire. Roxas was trying to analyze everything that could potentially harm the two of them, though he wasn't fast enough. Axel jumped out of the ring, and sent a wall of flames the boy's way. They nipped at his shirt as he forced his body to turn, moving the girl out of the range of fire. Luckily, the flames eating his sleeve died out by themselves.

It was killing me to sit here not breaking them up. That was all that I was good for, I remembered. Even so, there was no way that I could save the two of them without getting my own self hurt in the proces. But, there was still a plan of desperation that I could fall back on in dire times.

"Axel, don't!" I screamed.

There was nothing I hated more than bossing him around. It was a known fact that he would listen; if I demanded it, Axel would carry it out. It was the way that we had always been. However, every time that I did it, it seemed like I was chipping away his paint, taking away the little submissive nature that he had left. He hated when I did it, and I didn't want him to end up hating me for it. Though, in this situation, regardless if he ended up hating me or not, the existence of those two was more important.

He growled out before dropping his arms to his side. And that was it. Like the calm after the storm, the room was blanketed in a thick coat of silence. The ring of fire died out with a last hurrah, disappearing in a burst of heat. He had surrendered.

This time when I told him to stop, he listened to my wishes. I knew that he would've, but the next time I asked wasn't for sure now. I was abusing my power, sort of. I was abusing his admiration for me.

"Axel—" Roxas started.

The older boy held up his hand, cutting him off. "The only thing that saved you is her. You should consider yourself lucky. If I didn't like her . . . if she didn't like you . . . I would have gave you a harder time." He sighed. "Let's meet again in the next life, Roxas."

There was a time when Axel didn't hold much regard for anyone. It was good to know that those times were no longer upon us. It made me somewhat grateful, somewhere in the meaningless existence of mine, that I was able to know the before and after. It made me view him in ways that others couldn't. It made me see him for what he was: someone that had lost a friend. Even with no heart, I could tell that he was coming to terms with everything now.

Readjusting his grip on the girl, Roxas nodded. "Yeah. I'll be waiting."

Axel snapped his hands to create a portal. He was leaving the scene. For him, it was a it sign of giving up. He never fled—he stood his ground even if it meant him having to fade away. Or perhaps, he was giving us his support. He was letting us take care of Roxas' unfinished business. Realizing that, I looked away, too shaken up to stare into those glowing emerald eyes of his.

"Are you coming with me?" he had asked me, though he already knew the answer.

I shook my head. After all of this, I couldn't abandon Roxas after I said that I would stay with him. And for whatever reason, he didn't seem intent of giving up the girl in his arms, which was the whole reason why I was here. I couldn't leave with Axel.

He just nodded, then, turning to look at the blond again. "Silly. Just because you have a next life . . ."

He didn't bother finishing the rest of his sentence. His body disappeared into the flickering portal of darkness, leaving his words to echo through our heads like a broken record. I wasn't too sure about him, but I knew what he had meant by that. Roxas was going to be offered a next life. We weren't. We were Nobodies until the very end. We weren't supposed to be granted the luxury of living as it is. Such was the reality of our people.

Roxas stared at the spot that he had vanished through for what felt like hours. Many emotions shown through his bright eyes, yet none of them were what they should have been. At the end of the day, Roxas was one of us, too. He didn't feel sadness, or happiness, or loneliness. He was just . . . there. And though he probably wanted to reflect on the words of his best friend, the void in his chest wouldn't let him.

Recollecting his thoughts, he wasted no time in starting for the next door. It seemed like he had made up his mind after all. He was going to go through with this. I followed him, hoping that he would say something, but nothing happened. He only looked remorseful as he held the door open for me. That in itself was more words than he could have ever said.

 _It's now or nothing._

The door led to a new hallway. It was similar-looking to the last rooms that we were in. Moreover, in this one, along the gray, metallic walls, sat little, white pods. They looked harmless. Of the same futuristic fashion that everything else had been designed in, they were connected to wires that ran throughout the length of the room. They were even connected to other pods in some cases. Ten of them, five on either side, lined up the path of the hallway. It only added to the realism of it all.

None of us had dared to speak since Axel's departing. Just the sound of our footsteps filled the area with noise as we slowly walked through. Side by side rather than me following him, we moved in the same pace as if to take in everything around us. He made himself busy with staring into each of the egg-shaped pods. It was unknown to me what he was looking for, but, then again, it wasn't exactly for me to know. With that being said, I stayed quiet, allowing the boy to think things through.

He came to a stop in front of two white pods in particular. He gazed through the foggy coating, his eyes doubling in size once he saw what was inside.

"Donald . . .?" he had whispered to himself. "Goofy . . .?"

"Are things okay?" I asked.

He nodded, turning around to continue down the hallway. Not once did he show a hint of regret. Not once did he show that he wanted to go back. His strides were strong and calculated, like he was telling himself that it was too late for him to change his mind.

At the end of the hall, it gave clearance into another room. This one was the most different. It was white, almost blinding if one's eyes were of a weaker state. The floor, the walls, the ceiling, there wasn't an inch the same color as light itself. Still, that was the least important aspect about it. In the middle of the empty, white room, a pod triple the size of the smaller ones rested peacefully. I recognized it as the room that they kept _him_ in.

Roxas walked closer the moment I moved at his side. His feet were dragging as if he didn't want to go through with his plans anymore. He was starting to get cold feet at the very end. It made sense; he didn't have to do it. He could let the boy sleep for another year, for another century if he so pleased. He didn't have to do anything. It was his inner being that was lulling him into it.

He knew that it was the right thing to do.

He stopped directly in front of the pod, me lagging behind to give him distance. Letting out bursts of air, the device opened by itself, peeling away its exterior like an exotic flower in bloom. Clouds of oxygen released from its interior. And finally, almost as if he were some divine being, it revealed the brunet teenager sleeping soundly inside.

The sight made Roxas' eyes go wide. His grip around the girl had faltered the tiniest bit before he held onto her again. Taking in a shaky breath, he shut his eyes, letting it out forcefully as he reopened them in a newfound determination. He was going through with his plan after all.

"I brought her back to you, Sora. That's what you've been wanting this whole time, right?" He told the incoherent boy. "At least this way, we can end on a good note."

His intention from the moment he saw her was to bring her to him. That was why he didn't give her back, not even in the middle of battle. I stood in shock. He had this figured out all along.

He laid the girl on the ground. She looked like some sort of princess when he handled her, like someone that he needed to be careful with. Though, maybe she _was_ in his eyes. It didn't matter who he was; he was still the same person as the one in the pod. She was grander than a princess in that aspect.

She was his friend.

Once he was sure that she was okay, he turned to offer me a small smile. "Though I don't remember every single moment I had with you and Axel, I do remember the important things. Thank you . . . Hixari . . . for doing me this last favor. Turns out you were my best friend, all along."

I was at a loss for words. Never in my entire existence had I not had the right thing to say. There was no heart, no emotions, no feelings for me to express. Despite that, I was tongue-tied. Yet, it wasn't like he gave me the chance to do anything about it. So, I watched speechless as he turned to meet the brunet for the final time.

"Sora, you're lucky." He closed his eyes with a sigh. "Looks like my summer vacation is . . . over."

* * *

 _ **THIS WORLD HAD** very little to offer. That much was clear for anyone to see. However, nothing could take away from the fact that it was still soothing._

 _The crashing sound of the waves hitting the shores was like a lullaby. The crunching of the golden sand beneath my shoes was enough to make a person never want to leave. There was a sense of tranquility within the breeze, and the clouds that adorned the blue skies. Though this world had very little to offer, it was a safe and comforting place. There were no hints of danger or darkness in its lovely aura. There was only pure light . . . which was why I was going to leave her here._

 _In deciding for a place, it was suggested that she be the one to pick. She had called upon this one, saying that she felt someone familiar in the beachy shores. She claimed that she had met someone who resided here once upon a time, a heart that had touched hers in ways that she couldn't forget throughout her young years. So I brought her, hoping that this was exactly what she needed. It was._

 _She deserved better. She deserved more than being locked away in a castle for the rest of her childhood. She may have been granted things that many children dreamed of having, but materialistic things couldn't replace love. We couldn't replace a home. She needed better, and, right now, this was her better._

 _My gaze trailed down to the child trying not to doze off in my arms. When she adjusted the position of her head against my shoulder, the necklace that they gave her rattled in protest. They had definitely went out of their way to make sure that she knew she was their property. But, I was going to make sure that she wasn't anymore. I was going to give her a second chance._

 _Shaking her gently, I encouraged for her to fully wake up. There was no doubt in my mind that this kid would have a better life here. Even if the old man, Saїx, Axel, and I weren't here to spend that with her._

 _She leaned her head upright with a start, her silvery eyes immediately landing on the ocean's waves. I had placed her on her feet so that she could stand on her own. Her little, bare toes buried in the sand to get a feel of it. She liked it, that much was obvious, but there was also that part of her that seemed to be searching. She must have felt it—the heart that she connected with years ago._

 _She dusted off her white dress, looking up at me in confusion. "I think I know this place, Hixari. But, where's Saїx and the others? Where's my daddy? Why am I here? This is weird."_

 _I almost laughed at her rambling. Ever since she learned how to say big sentences, she hadn't been able to shut up. Not that I minded. Talking was her way of letting everyone know that she was still alive—that she mattered somehow. Her talking came to a stop, nonetheless, when she heard the sand crunching in the distance._

 _Someone was here._

 _We turned around, watching in surprise as two boys walked along the beach together. One, probably the youngest if one was to go by height, had short, spiky hair, and wide, innocent eyes. His friend's hair was silver, a no-nonsense looking covering his face throughout their conversation. They couldn't have been any older than six or seven-years-old. It was the same age as the girl standing next to me._

 _She stared at the two boys while they laughed together. Her whole life, she had been surrounded by adults. She must have been so confused seeing kids her age._

 _I bent down to her size, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Those boys look like nice people, don't you think?" I asked._

 _She nodded her head, her blue-black pigtails dancing around her face. Her missing front teeth would have been visible if it weren't for her trying to hide her smile away._

 _"That's him," she whispered. "The boy with the brown shorts. I think I've met him before."_

 _There could have been no way. She was from a place far away from this world. The two of them physically could have never crossed paths. Still in yet, I decided to humor her, smiling a reserved smile just for her._

 _"Why don't you go over there and say hi?"_

 _"They won't like me," she said, sadly._

 _I patted her head. "Aw, don't say that. Go ahead. Don't think about the past eight years anymore. Enjoy yourself from now on, okay?"_

 _The girl nodded her head before taking a deep breath. Taking a few steps forward, she lifted her arms up, and waved. "Hi!" she yelled._

 _The boys flinched in shock. The brunet one, in particular, shrieked in surprise. I caught sight of his blue eyes the moment they looked in her direction. They were warm, just like the breeze blowing through the small island._

 _"Woah, it's a girl! When did you get there? Where did you come from? I've never seen you around before!" he began shooting her with his many questions, causing the silver-haired boy next to him to sigh._

 _She turned around to look at me as if asking for permission. I made sure that by that time, I was no longer there. It was about time that she lived her life. She deserved a chance to be a normal kid. She deserved a chance to be happy. This island was the only way that I could give that to her. She would be safe here, after all . . . and no one would know about her whereabouts. That was the more reassuring thing of all._

* * *

 **THERE ARE THINGS** placed in each world that were meant to change your outlook on things.

One could walk along a path in the darkness for all of eternity if they so wish. One could teeter on the edge of the light, wondering if their heart is in it as much as their mind is. There was always something, though, that would change one's perspective on things, be it willingly or tragically.

I shouldn't have been one to speak. My days of uncaring, dancing on the thin line of self-isolation and no feelings, had been changed by the things this world had placed in front of me.

I watched in silence as the small, white duck and the tall dog helped the boy out of the pod. They gripped at his shoulders, attempting to hold him steady so that he wouldn't topple over his own two feet.

It was a sight that could have warmed the darkest of hearts. The sight of friendship was something that every person longed for deep down. It didn't matter who it was, or what it was . . . the heart was never meant to endure alone. Even I, the Nobody who didn't belong, felt that sort of emptiness at the sight of their reunion. It was crazy . . . the only thing that our people could feel was nothing.

I had been surrounded by voids for so long. No one around me shined this bright, cared this much, showed this much dedication to anything and everything. It was an image to behold; this was what human emotion looked like.

Had this been what Axel and Roxas had fought so hard to achieve? Had they wanted moments like this . . . moments with shared hearts and light? If so, the image in front of me taught me that I shouldn't blame them for it. It was beautiful. Had it been the three of us smiling at each other like that, would we have been the same people?

Roxas had gave up for this. Regardless how scared he was of what was to come, or everything in between, he was willing to feel this. Whether it was through his eyes, or through someone else's, he wanted to feel it. And to me, his choice no longer seemed like a sad one.

"Donald! Goofy!"

Now fully awake, the boy leaped forward into his friend's awaiting arms. The three of them clung onto each other tightly. Smiles of happiness radiated off of them; laughter of reuniting echoed when they spun around with linked hands. It was something to be happy about, in their case. They were all back together. There shouldn't have been anything better than that.

Though, for a moment of complete relapse, their forms molded into something else. The dog was no longer chuckling, but smiling widely as their wild red hair whipped around. The duck had grown into the shape of a young woman. The boy, still laughing the same goofy laugh, sprouted blond hair, and eyes blue enough to rival the sky.

I blinked a few times in attempt to prove my eyes wrong. Indeed, it was still the three group of long lost friend there. It caught me off guard. In a moment of weakness, I had saw the image of Axel, Roxas, and me.

 _"Hey, Hixari, if you're not going to finish your ice-cream, fork it over."_

 _"You can't just take her stuff, Axel."_

 _"Roxas, it's no big deal. I'm full—he can have it."_

 _"You're a good friend. I would rather have thrown mine in the trash than to hand it over to him."_

 _"Hey!"_

My head shook away the silly thoughts. There was no way that the three of us were ever going to be together again. It was just something that I had to acknowledge. While Axel was tearing himself apart, I had always been the calm one. There was no amount of wishing, fighting, or jobs that could bring back what we once had.

"Sasuke?"

The boy had figured out that she was here. His previous merry expression had changed to one I had recognized. I saw it countless times many years ago. It was the face of pure concern. Unconscious or not, he had been worried about her after all. And what a nightmare that seemed to be. To think that he spent every moment for the past year thinking about her . . . made me feel somewhat lucky that I wasn't in his shoes.

He dropped onto the floor next to her, shouting words she was sure to not hear. She had been that way for the longest. He wouldn't be able to get through to her. Yet, part of him seemed to know that, his words coming out forced and desperate.

"You're supposed to get up," he had said. "C'mon, whatever I did, I'm sorry. I won't let you down again. Just get back up, Sasuke."

Bargaining. It was one of the stages of losing someone, I supposed. But, he hadn't exactly lost anything. He thought that he did, for the only way to get her to open her eyes again was to make sure that she was safe. Of course, now that I knew that they were awake, she had found her second chance.

"Sora," I called out.

Three sets of eyes glanced over at me as if just now noticing that I was there. They were too busy wrapped up in everything to see that I had been watching. However, instead of provoking them like I normally would have been ordered to do, I sighed, knowing there was no way that I could leave with the girl now.

"Do I know you?" he asked, semi-threateningly.

I shook my head. My boots created little echoed as I walked to close the distance. The three of them were instantly on guard, standing up to fight me if need be. There was no reason for all of that. So, to prove that I was no harm, I held my hands up in surrender.

"If you three are going to take her back . . . As the person responsible for her, I'm going to need to to swear on something," I announced. They stared in response. "Make sure that you give me no reason to take her from you."

The duck glared. "What kind of dumb request is that? We don't even know you."

"Right!" the dog added. "Sasuke is one of our bestest friends now. She—"

"Okay."

It was the brunet that had cut them off. He was no longer standing to attack. Rather, his hands were at his side. His look of warning had morphed into a look of determination. I had to give it to him. For someone who didn't know what to do or where to go from here, he sure was brave.

His eyes sparkled in the familiar sunny warmth and courage that Roxas' did. "We swear," he repeated.

I wanted to chuckle. "All right," I replied. "It's a deal."

With those simple words, choking, gasps for air were heard all around the room. The three of them had abandoned their attention on me. All of their focus had shifted to the coughing girl behind them.

A portal of darkness had appeared on the side of me. No doubt it had been summoned by Axel. It was just like him to be watching closely. The thought made me shake my head as I stepped into it, leaving behind the people who had changed my outlook on the world . . . and Roxas.

 _"It's okay, Axel. You and Hixari are my best friends, too . . . always."_


	6. Growth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE: GROWTH**

 **SASUKE**

 **"I woke up on the fifth morning with a brightness of anticipation that seemed to challenge fate."**

 **— Stevenson**

* * *

 **THEY SAID ONCE** you wake up from a long slumber—from a place of no light—the reality that you come to is blinding.

It was compared to looking into the sun. The fresh light shined upon dark minds, causing headaches for the unexpecting. Pounding would echo through skulls as the brain kicks-started its system again. Everything was to be left feeling dazed and numb . . . so much so that the room would be going in and out of focus. It was for the unlucky, they said, and with current experiences, I could confirm it to be true.

I wanted nothing more than to refill my lungs with the deep feel of air. Oxygen had never seemed like a luxury to me until this moment. Breathing had became rough; my vision was coated in flashes of white above all else. My limbs felt heavy, like a corpse brought up from its grave to re-live its old days. I felt like I had died.

My eyes were quick to shut out the light. The longer that I looked, the more it burned. The more it burned, the harder my skull throbbed. Questions of who, what, when, and where were not worth risking being blinded by the light. It wasn't worth risking any further discomfort.

My limbs stretched out to expand themselves. Blood had started circulating through my body again. My mind was forcing away the grogginess of sleep. My fingers spread apart. My toes wiggled around in ways that felt oh-so satisfying. My arms had reached high, several cracking noises coming from the movement. I was learning to be awake again.

"Sasuke?"

The voice that spoke was full of worry. It was deep, not one that I had recognized right away. But, it held a certain familiarity to it . . . as if it was a tone that I had been hearing for the longest time. It made me want to open my eyes. And suddenly, the light didn't matter anymore.

I was greeted with the color white. There was so much of it—an endless ocean of the pure color drowning my vision. Though, white began to fade out, being replaced by a different color. Things came into focus. It wasn't light that had called upon me. It was the blue eyes waiting for me.

My mouth opened to say something, anything, but nothing came out. Just a gag of air. Dry coughs had echoed through the room instead; I sat up to clutch onto my burning chest. Clearly my lungs were having a harder time than my head was. However, I wasn't one to quit. I swallowed a bit, trying to get things back into working condition, before attempting to make another noise.

"So . . .ra?"

His blue eyes lit up at the broken syllables. Lips had pulled into a slight smile. He didn't seem to care that my voice was coated in the bitter after-effects of sleep. He understood every word, and from the looks of it, He was glad to have heard it.

"Hi," he greeted.

He sounded different. His was raspy as well—from the same reason, no doubt. It reached lower octaves that it did before. During our time apart, he had managed to get a deeper tone.

How long had we been apart? The last time that I saw him felt like so long ago. We were all together, then . . . Donald, him, Goofy, and I on the infamous Gummi Ship, awaiting for a new world to come up. He had told me to be careful and hold on when things got rough. Those were the last things that he said to me back then. It was moments before the situation with Riku and Kairi began.

She was out cold. None of my attempts, none of my begging, none of my crying could open her eyes. I had never felt more powerless in those times. There was no way to save my best friend.

Despite all of that, he was standing in front of me again. It made everything that happened seem like one bad nightmare. And would it have been silly of me to believe that none of it had actually took place? Was that selfish? Though, perhaps it didn't. Maybe it _was_ nothing more than a dream.

I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck. My body had moved on its own accord, throwing itself into his embrace. There was no thought behind it. It had been pure instinct. Not that he minded; he let out a small huff when he almost fell over from the force. Once he was balanced, he sighed, wrapping his arms around me in return.

If everything else was a dream, at least this wasn't. At least he was here with me. At least I wouldn't be alone and weak anymore. The pressure of tears had started building behind my eyes at the realization. I wasn't alone anymore. He had came back for me.

"What? Ducks don't get hugs, either?" someone quacked.

My grip on the boy loosened as I glanced over his shoulder. There stood a white duck, his arms crossed over his chest impatiently. Beside him was a tall dog scratching his head sheepishly. Donald and Goofy.

I struggled onto my feet, my limbs still numb, and felt the tears fall down my cheeks as I wrapped my arms around the two. They were here as well. Everyone that made me brave had came back. There was no reason for me to be afraid of what was to come. Now that everyone was here, there was nothing that we couldn't do . . . together.

Donald patted my back, melting into the group hug. "There's no reason to cry, Sasuke. Everything's fine."

I nodded to show them that I was okay. Everything was back the way that it was, after all. There was nothing to stress about. My lonely hardships were no longer upon me. They had given me the gift of waking up to the light. They had given me the gift of companionship . . . something that I now knew I needed.

Standing up to my full height, I released the two of them. They had enough of my hugs. But, Sora didn't. He yanked me back into his arms the moment my back stood up straight. I had nearly tripped over my two feet. More than likely I would have had it not been for him catching me. He held me close, resting his chin on top of my head. His heart drummed in songs of warmth and life by my ear. The near opposite of the way mine was acting.

"I looked everywhere for you," he said.

My lips almost pulled up into a smile. It _was_ him searching the castle. It _was_ him that Riku didn't want near us. The thought was reassuring; I had never really been alone in the first place. He was always three steps behind. Just like he had always been.

"I never gave up on you. Don't think that I did. But, I'm just glad that you're okay."

Donald coughed. At the sudden intrusion, Sora and I broke away from each other. He scratched his head in that sheepish way he seemed to love.

"It looks like you and Sora have grown," Donald announced. "Someone's had their growth spurts while they were sleeping."

I glanced up at the boy beside me. Donald was all for one when it came to teasing us. There was never a time where he didn't get a kick out of it. Though, this time, he was telling nothing but the truth. The red shorts that once reached Sora's calves were now drifting aimlessly above his knees. His shirt was even worse, almost revealing his navel due to not behind long enough for his torso. His hair was now lighter and longer. His facial features had shifted to something a bit more mature, shedding the baby-faced appearance he once wore. Yet, the most prominent thing had to be the change in height. He had once came up to Goofy's shoulders. Now, he was the same height as the dog, if not taller; he fell an inch or two below six feet.

My hands reached up to wipe the drying tears from my cheeks. "All that aside . . . What happened? Where are we?"

Sora shrugged his broad shoulders. "Your guess is as good as ours. We just woke up from a nap that felt like forever. But, really, we should be asking you that, Sasuke. What happened to you?"

What _had_ happened to me? The last memory that I recalled was of Riku. If one could even call him that. He spoke in hushed tones to a woman of green skin. After that, there was nothing. My mind went blank. There was a gap where my memories should have been. All except for . . .

Kairi.

My eyes went wide, glancing around the room for a sign of the redhead. I didn't know what I had been expecting. If she was here, we already would have noticed. There was no traces of here once being here. There was only white, surrounding the floors, walls, and every crevice in between. She wasn't here. So, where the hell was she, then?

"Where's Kairi?" I breathed. "The last time I saw her, she was sleeping. She wouldn't get up. Is she okay—"

Sora cut me off with an amused chuckle. "Relax. We found her; she's safe. We closed off Kingdom Hearts and she's back home."

"You said it like it's not a big deal. What happened? Is Riku home, too?"

The atmosphere ran quiet. That was never a good thing. It felt like every time the subject of Riku was brought up, no one had anything to say. Which was bad for me, seeing as how I wanted nothing but answers. I wanted to know if my best friend was okay. And, as if he was giving me an insight of what took place, Sora bit on his bottom lip.

It must have been another nervous habit he was developing. Still, it was all that I needed to know. Riku wasn't at Destiny Islands. He wasn't at home with Kairi. He was out in the worlds somewhere, and they didn't want to talk about it right now. Of course, their decision was fine with me. Whenever they were ready, I was going to be all ears.

Donald cleared his throat. "We should find out where we are."

"You're right." Sora nodded.

He was the first to walk toward the exit. Not once did he look back to see if we were following. A natural born leader, he already know that we would be trailing is movements . . . Movements that came to a stop as quickly as they started.

His attention went down to his feet. Groaning, he kicked the yellow shoes from them, sending them clanking onto the floor. It left him in his black socks. Not that he seemed to have minded, for he let out a relieved sigh.

"My shoes are too small now. Man, how long were we out? I don't remember being this big . . ." he trailed off.

"Me, neither," I agreed.

I took a minute to look my own self over. My tank top now went above my navel, hugging onto my frame tighter than it usually did. My biker shorts were a bit shorter than they were before. My shoes didn't hurt my feet as much as Sora's apparently did, though I wouldn't have minded a bigger size. The one thing that had remained the same was the silver necklace hanging from my neck. Thankfully. It was the only small reminder of my home world that I had left.

We followed Sora out of the room. From long, technological hallways, neon lights, flights of stairs, and the outer making of what appeared to be a library, one could have easily guessed that we were in a house of some sorts. The furniture in the halls were broken up and covered with layers of dust and cobwebs. Similar webs hung from the ceiling, threatening us with the image of spiders yet to come. At that, we walked down the foyer stairs without a word.

There was so much that we had to say to each other. There was so much that we had to clarify, longing to make sure that we weren't the only ones who had saw the things that we did. But, right then, there were bigger things at hand. Like where we were exactly.

The front doors of the house led out to a large, grassy, open space. The house—mansion, to be specific—had been built in front of a land of trees. The woods, I realized. Clouds of pinks and blues danced across the twilight sky. Oranges shined beyond the foliage of the trees. It carried along a small breeze, smells of cooked bread and motor oil coming with it. We were close to civilization.

The woods were dressed up with wild flowers. Everything ranging from reds and pinks to blues and yellows littered around the grass. Pine trees stood high into the sky, swaying in the late afternoon wind. The air was fresh. It was better than the stuffiness of the mansion, and I found myself taking in deeper breaths than what was really needed. However, none of it was familiar.

The end of the woods led to a hole in a brick wall. Ducking through it, the four of us were greeted with the image of humanity. It had brought us to a quiet, little town. People walking home from grocery shopping occupied the sidewalks. Children chasing each other with fake swords played in the brick alleys; teenagers conversing about different topics filled the area with sound. None of it was too out of the ordinary.

But, Sora had a strange expression on his face as we walked through the quiet streets of the town. I passed it off as him still being drowsy like I was. It was a big possibility; it sounded like something that he would do. He would always be the boy who spent his time sleeping.

One of the streets brought us to an alley. It was blocked off by a gate, the door to it being left open to allow further access. Donald, Goofy, and I walked through it in search of answers, whereas Sora stayed behind.

His arms were crossed over his chest. He gazed over everything with a sudden interest. It made the three of us stop, wondering what was going through his mind.

"You know," he started. "I think I've been to this town."

I watched as he gave the alley another unsure glance. "What's it called, then?"

"Hmm . . . I guess I must have imagined it." He shrugged.

He didn't say anything else about it. He continued to walk through the alley, us following behind him in slight confusion.

The path ended with a small clearing. Pipes ran throughout the walls. Vents sat on the ground, letting out occasional gusts of air. Discarded boxes and furnitures lined along the brick walls as if it were a trashy, yet quaint decoration. Sunlight lit the area up in swirls of yellows and golds. There was almost no reason why this part of the alley should have been blocked off.

But, it was, and three other teenagers had decided to take advantage of that. The first one sat on one of the vents. One of his leg—covered by the baggy camouflage pants he was wearing—dangled off the side, the other tucked firmly by his chest. With wild blond hair, thin, frowned up brows, and uncaring brown eyes, I guessed that he was the head of the group.

The other two, a boy and a girl, didn't seem as devoted as he did. The boy sat on one of the wooden boxes. His head was thrown back, black hair swaying in the breeze, and his eyes were closed. His arms hung lazily at his side. The same went for the girl, who gazed at the floor in boredom. Her chin rested in her hands to keep it propped up. Her untamed, brown hair hung around her face, and she didn't bother moving it away. They were all either tired, or in dire need of entertainment.

I supposed that they found it in us. The blond boy looked over when he heard us enter. His expression wasn't anywhere near happy; he glared at us the moment our eyes met.

Shooting us an even nastier look, he snapped, "What do you want?

"Uh, nothing." Sora held up his hands as a sign of peace. "Just wondering what was back here."

"Now you know. This is our spot," the blond huffed.

The boy with dark hair stood up from his spot in the corner. He hesitantly stepped over to where we stood, looking us over in confusion. More specifically, he stared down at me. An uncomfortable shiver ran down my spine from the sudden attention.

"What?" Sora asked for me.

The boy smiled politely at the four of us."You're . . . new around here, right? I'm Pence."

The blond stepped forward. "Hayner. Nice to meet you," he introduced, and I could pick up on the traces of annoyance in his deep voice. "But we got stuff to do, so . . . catch ya later."

Rather than sticking around, he gave us an uncaring wave before walking out of the alley. Regardless of how nice his friends seemed, he clearly didn't think the same. He must have thought we were seriously intruding on his personal space. Though, now that he had left, it was too late to apologize for the misunderstanding.

"My name's Olette," the brunette girl introduced. I waved, and she smiled at me. "Hey, did you finish up the summer homework, yet? Independent studies are the worst, huh?"

"Homework?" I repeated.

I glanced up at my three friends for help. The boys merely shrugged in response. None of us knew about the homework assignment that they were talking about.

"Hey, what's your names?"

Goofy laughed. "Oh, sorry. We're Goofy, Sora, Donald, and Sasuke."

Olette and Pence shared a strange look. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy . . ." Olette started. "We just met someone who was looking for you boys. He sure seemed in a hurry. He had a black coat on so I couldn't see his face, but he had these big round ears . . ."

The boys' face lit up knowingly while I shrugged. "The King!" Donald cheered.

"The King?" I asked. "When did you guys meet the King?"

Sora shook his head. "It's a long story. I'll explain later. For now, where'd you guys see him?"

"At the station," Pence answered.

The three of them thanked the two for their information. In the meantime, I was wondering how long I had been out to miss meeting the King. How long exactly had my eyes been closed?

"Well, we'd better get back to that assignment." Olette sighed.

Her and Pence both bid their goodbyes as they left the alley clearing. With us being alone, the boys had enough space to cheer. They looked beyond excited. Happy was a near understatement for them.

Donald jumped into the air with a grin. "Oh, boy! The King's trying to find us!"

"Yeah." Sora sent me a gentle smile. "Let's go to the train station.


	7. Farewell

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX: FAREWELL**

 **SASUKE**

 **"How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."**

 **— Winnie The Pooh**

* * *

 **ABOVE ALL, THE** thing that comforted me the most was the fact that everything could continue on as if nothing had happened. It didn't matter that a lot did.

It was so natural to go springing into the next journey like we used to. I had been accustomed to solving mysteries and saving worlds with them. It was almost like a second nature now. It must have been that way for them, too. There was still the inevitable pull of friendship guiding us along our paths. I was more than thankful that it had not been severed.

None of us had said a word about what happened on that pirate ship, what happened to Riku, what happened to Kairi, what happened to Kingdom Hearts, or how they had met the King in my absence. Sora said that everyone would take their turns explaining later, and I put my trust in his words. I believed that they could help clear up some of the gaps in my memory.

We didn't really remember the important details. But, we did remember going on missions. We remember the jokes, the fun, the fighting, the friends we made . . . I guess everything had just picked itself up from there. It was as if nothing had corrupted our adventures. It was as if were were still traveling from world to world for our friends, never having encountered a block in the road. Or at least, that was what I kept telling myself.

I wanted to think that nothing changed. There were no evil Riku's, no passed out Kairi's, and no shouts for Sora to help me save her. Though, perhaps that was what meant the most to me. It wasn't what happened in the end. It was what happened to my best friend.

My thoughts couldn't help but to wander over her image as the four of us walked through the town's streets. I should have been glad that Sora was able to save her. He had saved the day; he sent her home with a peace of mind. Yet, it was impossible for me to shake the feeling that things weren't done. Kairi wasn't exactly safe for some reason.

Maybe I was delusional.

The aura of the world was a light one. The people that inhabited it looked way too friendly to be real. The buildings, signs, and shops appeared as if they were built with the most pure intentions imaginable. It, in all honesty, reminded me of Sora. The way that the streets connected to each other, leading up to the bigger center of town was just like his heart. A bunch of memories leading up to his light.

That was _if_ he remembered them. For now, it could have been a bunch of broken memories daring to never return.

I glanced ahead to where his calloused hands were buried in the pockets of his small shorts. His sock-clad feet were making little pat sounds while he walked. Despite that, his head was held high. Not once did his chin lower itself. It was the self-confidence that he possessed. At the end of the day, even for someone who had no shoes, he believed that everything was going to be okay.

We had ended up in the rear end of the town. A large building bearing signs and times sat upon the hill, a tall clock tower overlooking the civilians below. With white paints and reddened roofing, it contrasted well against the ever-setting sky. Lights of golds danced off of the building's exterior. ' **STATION** ,' the sign above it had read. It was almost as clear as the sounds of trains moving just beyond its four glass doors.

The area had an interesting feel to it. No one lingered around the large, empty space, it clearly not mattering that it was an area for mass transportation. It was quiet; no one seemed to want to ride the train today. Even so, with the slight breeze and slowly moving clouds, I couldn't guess why they wouldn't. It was a nice day out. Yet, no one was here.

Sora stepped forward. He had a habit of walking into things first to get a feel of it before we could. Another leader quality, one could say. However, after his second step, the echoing of monsters' voices left me wishing that I had gone, too. They were coming.

The creature that spawned in front of him wasn't a Heartless. At first glance, one could have assumed it to be, but I had been fighting long enough to spot out the difference. Rather, this one was something of an entirely different species. Black clouds of darkness faded away where they appeared around the empty area. It left behind thin bodies; its slender limbs moved and danced similar to an ocean's waves. Blue lights ran along the sides of the semi-person shaped creature. Though, it possessed no eyes, only a mouth with zipper indications where the teeth should have been. Its clawed hands were kept together using buckles. A weapon no doubt . . . Whatever these things were, they didn't come on good terms.

Above all, the trait that caught me off guard hadn't been the smooth rocking of the creature's hips. It was the emblem that rested on its flat head. My hand instinctively wrapped around the pendent on my necklace. It was the same upside-down heart.

More of the creatures spawned to create a tight circle around us. Their arms swayed side to side in condescending manners, like they were trying to scare us in ways they knew how. It didn't work well in their favor.

Noticing the new threat, Sora, Donald, and Goofy summoned their weapons. Flashes of light came and went; their items of defense were left in their straining grips. It brought about a certain nostalgia. It had been so long since we fought together. Who was to say that it was too early to pick up where we had left off?

My hand spread in attempt of calling my own weapon. There was no flash of light. There was no surge of heat, promising to leave behind the Keyblade that had fallen into my possession. No . . . there was nothing. Just like my first time around—like I had been sent to re-live from the very beginning—my Keyblade wasn't coming to me.

It was the first time in who knew how long. Upon first receiving my weapon, it took days . . . weeks for me to summon it at will. It meant difficulty protecting myself. No weapon meant that I couldn't fight. I was back on square one, and I couldn't figure out why.

Sora, seeing that I was struggling on my side of the circle, took a step in front of me. "Sit this one out. We've got it," he commanded.

I wasn't normally one to listen when he told me to stay put. In fact, I hated it. But, he was right about this one. He was growing just as nervous about the situation as I was. We had never laid eyes on the silvery creatures before. There was no way to tell how they would react. For all we knew, they could be too strong to fight, Keyblade or not.

Goofy was the first to spring forward. The momentum of his shoulder slammed the knight's shield against one of the creatures. It was all it took to get it to fade away into a fit of gray smoke. They weren't that experienced with protecting themselves. And with that new knowledge, Donald and Sora charged into the fight as well, using offense whenever they could.

The creatures moved like ballerinas. They were like snakes gliding along the playing field. One of them twisted itself in their air before swiping its sharp legs at Donald, seemingly in slow motion. Luckily, the duck had jumped back in time to dodge it. The creatures were better at offense and stealth than they were at actually protecting themselves. One could imagine getting hit with one of their sharp ends would leave a wound deep enough to hurt.

Sora used his Keyblade to defeat a few. Although, with every one that they took down, two more spawning in its place. It was an endless cycle, and judging by how off balanced they were fighting, the boys still hadn't exactly recovered from their slumbers.

I had been too caught up in the boys' fight, too busy analyzing strengths and weaknesses to notice what was behind me. The creature let out a wail; my eyes went wide once they landed on the sneaking monster. It hovered in the air behind me as if gravity didn't exist—a new play that I had no idea how to get out of. It pulled its long arm back to swipe its claws at me, and I braced myself for what was to come. However, nothing ever did.

Instead of the flexible creature, there was something else when I reopened my eyes. Or rather, there was someone else. A short person donning a black cloak had took the creature out while I couldn't. He left no time for further examination of himself. He had raced into battle with the boys, defeating creatures with a Keyblade much similar to Sora's.

Donald's eyes went wide. "Your Majesty?" he croaked.

Had it been the King that just saved me?

The cloaked person helped take out the monsters. It proved an easy task for him; he took out the slithering creatures as if he had been fighting them for years. His fighting style was sleek and graceful . . . perfectly fit for someone of royal status.

There was no doubt that it could have been him. It didn't take one to meet him, to come face to face with him, to know that he was someone of high ranking. The atmosphere had picked up the moment he began to fight. Almost like he was something that they feared, the slithery creatures were no match for him.

They withered away in clouds of what once was. There was no regeneration. There were no more bodies to be spawned into battle. After the remaining few were gone, he area was quiet once more, no longer containing the dangerous threats. All that was left was the King.

He stood with his back turned to us. Small height, round ears . . . just like Olette said. Every description that I had gathered upon him was correct so far. He was the person that everyone was looking for.

He held up a gloved finger to silence our racing minds. "You gotta board the train and leave town! The train knows the way. Here."

His other hand dug into the pocket of his cloak. Part of me had expected something grand, something to show us the answers that we'd been looking for. Though, as he pulled out an orange sack, passing it on the the reluctant Sora, I knew it was everything but that. The small sack rattled with sounds of metal within. He had gave us a pouch filled with munny.

Sora parted his lips to question the King's intentions. However, there was no one there to ask. The King sprinted down the hill leading back into the awaiting town. No goodbyes, no promises to meet again, no instructions on what to do next; he was gone before any of us could get a gasp on the situation.

I let out a heavy sigh. He chose not to stay—not to answer the questions that had been bundling in our minds.

"The King . . . was that really him?" I asked my three friends.

Goofy nodded his head more than a few times. "Yep, I know it was!"

"Now we know he's okay!" Donald cheered.

"Why wouldn't he be?" I asked.

Sora shook his head, obviously remembering that I had missed out on a large part of their adventures. "The King was locked in the realm of darkness after you disappeared," he explained. "After you left, we defeated Ansem. The King and Riku were closed inside of the doors. But . . . we just saw him . . . So, if the King is here, that means Riku must be, too."

My eyes grew in size. "What? Riku's here?"

"He's gotta be!" Donald added.

The new information was music to Sora's ears. He crossed his arms over his chest in accomplishment. The hem of his shirt had raised up with the movement, exposing the lower half of his abdomen like a cropped top. It almost made me laugh.

"Well, I'm going to go look for him," he announced.

My response was hesitant and shaky. "Is he still . . ."

Lately, there was no good memories of Riku stored in my heart. No good recent ones, to be exact. Whenever his name was said, images of him granting me pain and stress flashed through my mind. How he had drugged me into a peaceful slumber was constantly on repeat. The Riku that existed now was no longer my friend, as far as I knew.

I kept telling myself that it couldn't have been him in the act. There was some logical reason behind everything that proved Riku was still who I thought he was. Yet, a part of me couldn't accept that wholeheartedly. I had been close to being scared to death the last time I was around him. The muscle beating in my chest wasn't allowing me to just get over that.

"Of course not." Sora gave me a wide, knowing smile. "Riku was lost for a while, but he came back. I knew he would. Ansem had taken over his body back there. He helped us close the doors to the realm of darkness . . . He was really worried about you, you know."

My gaze traveled down to my shoes. Riku was worried about _me_?

I supposed it made sense at some time of the story. But, the image of his sea green eyes glaring at me as if he couldn't stand it was burned into my mind. I knew that it was Riku. The Riku that I knew helped Sora until the very end. So, where in these worlds was that Riku? Was he out there, cold and lost upon the seas of oblivion? Did my Riku even exist anymore?

Changing the subject to keep myself from thinking about it, I turned to the brunet. "What's next?"

"I'm taking you home. We're going back to the islands; Kairi's there waiting on us," Sora said before turning to Donald and Goofy. "What are you two gonna do?"

The duck and the dog both sent the boy a look. "Gawrsh, Sora. Do ya have to ask?" Goofy mumbled.

"I'm sure there are people out there who are waiting for you two to come back home." I offered a small smile.

Not much was known about their lives before all of this took place. Not much was known about the world that they had been born into. There were no tales of friendship, childhood, or home that they told. It made me wonder if they actually had something to return to. I had been so caught up in the fantasy of going home with the boys and Kairi that I had let my other two friends slip from my mind.

This adventure could be the last of us. Once we all went back to the way things were, were we guaranteed a reunion? Were we promised to remain friends throughout the distance that connected our worlds? I wanted to believe so, and if I were to ask Sora, he'd tell me monologues about how our hearts would never be separated. Though, up until now, I had realized just how important Donald and Goofy's constant presence was to me . . . just like Riku, Sora, and Kairi.

Goofy look down to the duck in agreement. "Daisy'll be happy to have ya back, don't ya think?"

"Who's Daisy?" Sora questioned.

"His girlfr—"

"Don't tell them that!" Donald cut him off with a ruffle of his white feathers. "I'll never hear the end of it. It doesn't matter, anyways."

I felt my expression soften. "Donald, you have a girlfriend?"

As rare as a blue moon, Donald began to grow soft. His dark eyes eased up into a gentle stare. His muscles relaxed opposed to the previous tension set upon his small shoulders. Like he was blushing, he turned his head to survey the train station, his eyes avoiding us at the mention of his significant other.

It was a sweet gesture. Still, Sora and I couldn't help but to throw our heads back in laughter. The thought of the grumpy duck having someone to care and love was more than shocking. He had always came off as the loner type—the type not to fall for someone no matter what the cost was. Despite that, he was here, growing shy and nervous just talking about his girl. _His_ girl . . . which he apparently kept a deep secret from us. It was endearing and hilarious at the same time.

"Hey, what's so funny?" The duck screamed and stomped his feet, making us laugh even louder. "Cut it out!"

Sora pointed a finger at him while he clutched onto his stomach. "Your face!" he wheezed out between giggles.

His face was growing redder than Donald's around his cheeks. His eyes were squeezed shut, his brows were pulled into a comedic grimace, and his frame shook with laughter. For the first time since we woke up, he was actually having a laughing fit. No . . . it was more than that—the first time in who knew how long.

His giggles, wheezes, and cries were contagious. Donald and Goofy shared a look. Before any of us could figure out how crazy we all looked, we burst into laughter loud enough to raise the dead. Goofy leaned on Donald for support. I had nearly collapsed to the ground in rounds of gasps, struggling to relieve the pressure on my stomach. Howls and choking noises echoed throughout the area; we were close to dying because of one little sentence.

Times like this were too hard to take seriously. Every once in a while, you had to let loose. Everyone deserved a break now and then. So, it was what we did, filling the space with the laughter of reunited friends.

Once his laughter had trickled down to occasional chuckles, Sora stood up straight, shooting us a bright grin. "So, what do you say, guys?" he started. "Let's stick together for one more journey. To . . . where again?"

"We have to board the train," Goofy reminded him.

"Oh, yeah!" Sora beamed, causing Donald to sigh beside him. "C'mon!"

Like a gun going off to start our new chapter, we ran up the steps into the train station together. I knew that I was a sucker for sentimental things, and I knew that things like this would stay in my heart. This moment, running off to start a journey with the three felt way more important to me that it should have. It was promise of us being together once more, laughing, cracking jokes, standing tall and being brave like we had before. For so long, I'd been wondering when that luxury would be granted to me again. If I even deserved it. But, here and now, I knew it wasn't coming to an end. This was just the beginning . . . and we all knew it.

There was a sense of excitement that washed over me. Something within told me that this time around would be different, nothing like our last time. Things had changed. There were so many new things that we had to learn, new things that we had to go against, new things that we were bound to experience. And something told me that this part of our story was going to be better. I just hoped that my gut was right.

The inside of the train station was filled with the sounds of coal-powered cars gliding along the train tracks. The color scheme was familiar to the rest of the town; golds, yellows, browns, and oranges decorated the space in an almost sunny aspect. The aura that lingered screamed friendliness . . . as if this place was inviting us to dive deeper into its secrets.

The first train to reach the station was different that the others. Painted in shades of dark purples and blues, gold stars created patterns on its exterior. Golden orange lights flash mysteriously along the length of it. The train was shorter than the others. It couldn't have fit more than thirty people inside. More importantly, as if it had been sent from the King himself, the door opened when we stepped further into the station. It was the train that we needed to take.

"Hey, wait up!"

We turned toward the source of the noise. Three teenagers burst through the station doors . . . the ones that we had encountered earlier in the alleyway. Their shoes created echos that bounced off of the bronze-y walls. Gasps of air escaped their mouths, their chests heaving up and down from running. They had been looking for us, I guessed. Only the heavens knew for what.

The blond boy kept his composure. His friends, on the other hand, bent over to place their hands on their knees, gathering the air back into their lungs. My eyebrow rose in question; I moved away from my spot beside Goofy to see what was going to happen.

"Hey, Sora . . ." the blond trailed off.

Sora looked just as confused as we did. "What?"

"Nothing, but . . ."

The smaller boy, Pence, but the boy off, clearly seeing that his friend wasn't going to go through with his sentence. "We came to see you off," he explained. "It just seemed like something we oughta do."

Reaching a hand up to scratch his cheek, Sora nodded. "Oh . . . really? Thanks."

There wasn't enough time for anyone to say more. A piercing horn rang throughout the station, indicating that it was time for the passengers to board their trains. They had caught up with us the minute we had to take our leave.

"You should hurry up and get your tickets," Olette offered.

Sora, whom seemed very confused and nervous all of the sudden, nodded his head yet again. He said nothing as he stepped over to the ticket counter. However, he stopped when Olette let out a tiny gasp. She dug into her shorts to retrieve her own bag of munny. A small drawstring sack . . . it was identical to the one in the brunet's hands.

She stared at hers, then at his. "They're the same . . ."

Had it been a coincidence?

Nonetheless, Sora turned to the man behind the counter. He was balding at the top of his head. Gray hairs hung around the areas that hadn't shed completely. Wire-rimmed, red glasses sat atop his crooked nose, making it easier to see with his squinted eyes. I could see his protruding belly underneath his too-small uniform shirt from where I was. He looked kind enough. Hopefully, he wouldn't say that it was too late for us to buy our tickets.

"Four tickets, please."

Sora handed the man the coins that covered the cost. He simply smiled in return. His wrinkly hands counted the munny before he turned to his computer, leaning in closer as he typed a few things into the machine. He made small talk that I couldn't hear. I _could_ see Sora smile, though, telling the man goodbye after he was handed four tickets.

He walked back over to where we stood. Gaze fixated on the purple train, he let out a sigh. It was a heavy one. It wasn't one of excitement, but of a sense of dread that he didn't have minutes earlier.

"I can't help feeling like we won't see this town again . . ." he muttered.

"You're thinkin' too much." Goofy chuckled.

Sora shook his head, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, you're right."

I couldn't relate to what he was saying. This world held the same feeling that I had for any other world that we had visited. It felt like we had done our usual accomplishment of planting permanent ties to it. The setting sun, stone streets, and peaceful inhabitants . . . I couldn't say that we would be seeing the last of it. We left our mark—our reason to return. And as we walked over to the awaiting train, it was clear that we did.

It was all in the way Olette, Pence, and Hayner had followed us. We were in their thoughts at least, so we could come back. They were our reason to. Wasn't that was Sora said to us long ago?

The four of us turned to face the three. It didn't matter to them that we just met moments before. They still held grim expressions on their faces, like they were seeing a close friend leave home.

Hayner was the first to speak, his golden eyes landing on mine, and then Sora's. "Hey, Sora," he called out. "You sure we haven't met before?"

Sora scratched his head. "Positive. Why do you ask?"

"I dunno." Hayner shrugged his broad shoulders.

I glanced up at Sora, searching for a sign that he was conflicted with his memories. However, what I saw was not conflict. Tears had began the slow trail down from his eyes. His face twisted in shock; his hand reached up to touch the liquid staining his cheeks. He didn't know why he was he swore that he had never met them, he had been reduced to tears upon leaving them.

Hayner stepped forward to rest a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," Sora answered, using the back of his hand to wipe away his tears. "Don't know where it came from."

The blond playfully rolled his eyes. "Pull it together,"

"Right . . . See ya."

I was the first to step inside the train. Donald and Goofy soon followed in after me, Sora right behind them with an unreadable expression. As soon as we were in, the door shut. The metal groaned as if slid into place with the lock. With a final click, everything was set to go.

Hayner, Olette, and Pence were standing outside of the train waving to us. We waved back through the windows. Those were our final goodbyes; the train picked up movement, leading us out of the station. Who knew when we were going to see those three again.

I let out a sigh before collapsing into one of the empty purple seats. Donald and Goofy sat down with me, but Sora stayed by the door, watching the vibrant sky while the train drove ahead.

His attention was focused on the blues, oranges, and pinks swirling across the clouds above. He seemed deep in thought; it was the best for us to leave him alone. But, I couldn't help but wonder why he was acting the way he was. We had been to many worlds in our days of travel, yet, he had never cried leaving any of them. What was it about this one that made a difference? What was so special about Hayner that made his defenses come crumbling down?

I could do nothing but ask myself those questions as the boy dug into his pocket, and began to finger the blue crystal ball that he pulled out of it. He held it up against the sunlight. That was when the tears started again. Just one this time—he let it continue its lonesome road down his cheek.

He quickly wiped it away, his eyes never leaving the clue crystal. "You know . . ." he started, and the three of us looked at him in both curiosity and sympathy. "I'm sad."

"We'll be back," Donald reassured with a smile.

Goofy nodded. "Yeah. We can visit those guys again."

Sora sighed in understanding. That was all there was to do. We rode in silence; not a word was uttered after that brief conversation. Perhaps it was because that mood had forced us to run out of things to say. Or maybe it was because we knew things were better off unsaid. Either way, things had felt a lot sadder than it did when we walked into the train station.

That one thing was for sure.


	8. Wizardry

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVEN: WIZARDRY**

 **SASUKE**

 **"I believe that clothes can give people a better image of themselves - that it can increase their feelings of confidence and happiness."  
\- Giorgio Armani**

* * *

 **THE SHORT TRAIN** ride was coming to an end.

The four of us stood up as the door opened. The surroundings were no longer that of the bright town, but a world unknown. The night sky was filled with thousands of stars. The land was just a floating mass of earth covered in grass. There was nothing out here other than what sat in the middle of the land. My feet carried me closer to it. It was a tower of some sorts, standing tall enough to where I had to tilt my head back just to look at the top. It was a cream colour with green accents. The building's shape itself wasn't like anything that any of us had ever seen. It was twisted in odd angles, making me wonder how it was still standing.

The ride had been filled with explanations. Everyone told their side of what had happened and what they thought had happened. They told me that I had been knocked out when they found me. They thought that I was dead. Sora said that he stabbed his heart with a Keyblade to release all of the princesses' hearts. One of those were Kairi's. She woke up apparently, but by this time, I was nothing but a corpse and Sora was a Heartless. Eventually, Sora was turned back into a human, and everything was set straight. Though, when they sealed the Keyhole and defeated Ansem, Riku and the King had been locked inside the realm of darkness while trying to close the doors. It was also during this time when Kairi was sent back to the island, telling the brunet that I had disappeared into thin air. Donald explained that they wandered around looking for signs of Riku, the King, or me. That was all that they remembered.

I told them that before I fainted, there was a voice that called out to me. It said that it was time to go to sleep . . . and to give something back. That was it. "It was her," Sora had whispered when I told them. It seemed to click to them, but it made no sense to me. Did they know the voice in my head?

Donald was the last to step off of the train. His webbed feet stepped onto the grass as a flash of light shined behind him. We turned around to see what it was. The train that once sat at the edge of the land mass was now gone. Sora chuckled nervously at the sight. "Well, there goes our ride . . ."

I walked toward the tower. If there was any place where we were supposed to go, this would probably be it. Especially considering the fact that it was the only place _in_ this world. Though, my legs froze when my eyes met the sight of something in front of the huge double doors. It was a person attempting to peek inside the tower. They were huge to say the least, standing around seven feet tall. For once, someone was taller than Sora.

"What's going on?" Donald asked as the man wiggled around to get a better view.

The person chuckled. Had he heard us? "I sent some of my lackeys inside to see if the master of this here tower's as big and tough as they say," he said. So, he had definitely heard us talking. "Word is, he's a real powerful sorcerer. Which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me. See, it don't matter how tough he is - once he's a Heartless, he'll do as I say."

We froze, saying in unison, "A Heartless?"

"That's right." The guy nodded. "They're those things that come outta the darkness in folk's hearts. Why, with all those Heartless at her side, my dear friend Maleficent is gonna conquer everything! And since I got me a debt to pay, I'm goin' 'round to a bunch of different worlds and buildin' an army of Heartless, special for her. Oh, why am I talkin' to you pipsqueaks anyway? Go on, scram! I'm behind schedule as it is."

Pipsqueaks? I felt my right eye begin to twitch. the most annoying part about that was the fact that it wasn't the first time that we've been called that name. That aside, this guy wanted to take whatever was in this tower as his. He was going to use the Heartless to do it, too. That meant that he was a bad guy. Crossing my arms over my chest, I let out a breath and shook my head. It didn't take long for these guys to come back at all. "You should find something better to do," I said.

The guy let out a growl. It wasn't one of concentration; it was one of irritation. His body turned to face us with a sudden hostility. My words must have pissed him off. "Says who," he barked. However, his eyes went wide when he seen the four of us standing there. "Wha . . . AAAH! It's you!"

"Pete?" Donald and Goofy asked in shock.

I glanced up at the friendly dog. "You know this guy, Goofy?"

"What are you two nimrods doin' here?!" the man practically screamed.

"What are YOU doing here?!" Donald screamed back.

Goofy nodded at my previous question with a grim face. "We sure do," he answered. Well, that explains things. But that didn't exactly explain why that guy was trying to break into the tower. "Pete's been causing trouble for ages! His Majesty banished him to another dimension a long time ago. I wonder how he escaped."

The guy, Pete, threw his head back with laughter. Whatever he heard our friend say must have been hilarious to him. "You wanna know how, eh? Well, Maleficent busted me out, that's how! And now your world - no, no, no, all the worlds - are gonna belong to yours truly," he said. Sora let out a sigh, his eyes trailing up to the twinkling stars above our heads. "Cause Maleficent's gonna help me conquer 'em!"

The brunet's head tilted to the side with interest. "Maleficent . . . huh . . ." That was all he said before bursting out into a fit of giggles. Donald and Goofy joined in, too, leaving me to wonder what I had missed. Maleficent . . . that had been a name that had came up one or two times during the train ride. Though, the name didn't ring any bells.

"What are you laughing at?" Pete grumbled. "Why, Maleficent's power is so great -"

"She's toast."

"Huh?"

Pete froze to look at the chuckling Sora. His large hands dug into his pockets as one side of his lips tilted upwards. He knew something that Pete didn't know. Something that I didn't know for that matter. It was a face he constantly used to give Riku, Kairi, and me whenever we played hide and seek when we were little. It was his best poker face. Granted it wasn't that good, it sure was a bit intimidating. At that, I felt myself wondering what the teenager's next move was going to be.

"Sorry, but Maleficent can't help you now," he added. Pete's beady black eyes went wide. Had they defeated that person when I was off with Riku - the possessed Riku?

Pete's face shifted into a horrified one. "What do you mean?" the guy croaked. It only took him a moment to realize the importance of his situation. He pointed an accusing finger at Sora with a glare. "So you're the ones that did it!"

Crossing his arms behind his head, Sora looked down at me with a smile before his eyes trailed up to the star-filled night sky. Yup. He definitely had something to do with it. And judging by the way his voice had a hint of cheekiness to it, it wasn't an easy feat to accomplish. I let out a chuckle. "Well, we mighta had something to do with it," the brunet said with a grin.

Pete's expression was now livid. "Heartless Squad! Round up!"

Our eyes went wide as the shadow creatures begin to crawl out of the ground. The boys got into their attacking stances, summoning their weapons to aid them in battle. My hand gripped in attempt to call upon my Keyblade again. Just like last time, nothing came. Something was keeping me from it. Something that I didn't quite know about. My hand reached for my old magic to use that instead. There was no way that I was just going to stand around doing nothing the entire time.

Goofy crashed his shield down on the Heartless. The shadows disappeared leaving just three behind. I dug out a fire magic to send it at one. To my luck, it still worked; aiming directly at one of the monsters. It disappeared as well. Donald took out the other two with a thunder spell. The lighting bolts came crashing down from the sky. They hit the last of the Heartless with a loud crackle. Just like that, all of the Heartless were defeated.

Pete stood at the stairs of the tower in shock. Had he not expected us to defeat his weak Heartless? Nonetheless, the guy began to stomp his feet. "You just wait!" he wailed. "Nobody, and I do mean nobody, messes with the mighty Pete!"

Sora took a step closer, his hand clutching tight onto the handle of his Keyblade. He was taunting him. "So, 'mighty' Pete, who lives in this tower, anyway?" he asked.

"Oh, you don't know, eh? Well, it's old Yen Sid. 'Course he's probably a Heartless by now!"

"Master Yen Sid lives here?!" Donald had completely disregarded everything that Pete said. He only took in those bits and pieces. A smile cracked onto my face. That guy will never change, huh? He sprinted up the steps toward the big double doors of the tower. No words were said as he pushed one of the doors open and ran inside. Even out here I could hear the pat sounds of his webbed feet.

"Yen Sid is the King's teacher!" Goofy explained to us.

My silver eyes went wide at the thought. "Wow. Sounds powerful if he taught the King." With that, the three of us took off running after Donald, leaving Pete standing there. Whoever this Yen Sid guy was, I wanted to meet him. Anyone that powerful had to be the coolest thing ever.

The inside of the tower was blank. There was only a staircase going in a circle leading higher up the tower. The floors and walls were a beige colour. The four of us exchanged looks before marching up the stairs. This tower was huge. None of us were surprised if it took us about an hour to get to the top. But, we started, going up the many stairs without a complaint. Though, when Heartless began spawning, that was when the complaints started.

"Aw, man . . ." Donald sighed, summoning his magic staff.

Donald and Sora did the same. There was no point in me trying to summon mine. Something told me that it wasn't going to come right now. The boys attacked the swarm of Heartless blocking off the stairs. There wasn't many, but there was enough to slow us down. A Heartless charged at me and I jumped out of the way. There were no rails on the staircase, so my body was almost sent tumbling over the edge. Someone grabbed a hold of my arm to pull me back onto the stairs. It was Donald. He sent me a grin before going back to fighting.

Sensing my fighting handicap, Sora stood by my side. He bent down a bit, saying, "Get on." His face was so serious. I thought that he was kidding, but there was no way that there was a spark of funniness behind those eyes. Nodding, I climbed onto his back. His hand gripped under my leg to keep me in place. Without warning, he stood up to his full height, giving me an idea of just how tall he was. Everything looked so small from up here. "Wrap your arms around me and hold on," he said.

My head nodded once more in understanding. "Roger." My arms went around his chest to secure myself in place. Once I was on, he started fighting again, and I could have sworn my eyes were rolling into the back of my head.

He was moving as fast as he could, knocking Heartless out of the way left and right as he sprinted up the stairs. Donald and Goofy were by his side. Sora jumped over a hoard of Heartless. When he landed, he threw the Kingdom Key toward the group, taking off running again. Within seconds, the Keyblade was right back in his hand like a boomerang. It was then when I noticed how dangerous and how heavy that thing was. Though it wasn't surrounded in spikes like my Keyblade was, it did just as much damage . . . if not more.

The running commenced again. Donald sent another thunder storm at the Heartless ahead. Sora had to practically roll out of the way to dodge the electricity. My hands were gripping onto his shirt tightly, for if I didn't, I was one hundred percent sure that I was going to fall to my death. He noticed, too, gripping onto the back of my leg firmly so that he wouldn't drop me.

He swung his weapon at a few more Heartless. Unlike the others, these were bigger. His attacks bounced right off. The Heartless swung its fist at him. In an attempt for me not to get hit, he dropped me on the stairs. "Run ahead!" he shouted, going into a battle with the two annoying Heartless.

I did as he said, running up the stairs and dodging as many Heartless as I could. Goofy was at my side trying to clear a path for me. Donald was shooting magic everywhere like his life depended on it. My legs pumped faster to get myself up the stairs. Soon, though, I felt something wrap around my legs and pick me up. It was Sora. The boy swung me onto his back again without a second thought. His hand held onto my leg once more as he rushed up the stairs. This was one of the first times I had seen him so determined. He wasn't even talking anymore. He was completely silent as he held on, attacking anything that got in his way. It was almost . . . strange.

At the top of the stairs sat a door. Donald, Goofy, and Sora were huffing and puffing from all the running that they were doing. They had let me get off easy with this one. Letting out a breath of exhaustion, the brunet gently put me down. I muttered a thanks to which he just nodded. The world seemed to be spinning a bit to me. After all of the running, jumping, and dodging, I was dizzy. That was the most fast-paced thing we've been in ever since we woke up . . . and I wasn't even doing anything. Almost immediately, everything appeared a normal size, and I was once again smaller than Goofy. That didn't last long.

Donald rested his hands on his knees. "Heartless, Heartless, Heartless," he grumbled. "Things haven't changed one bit!"

"Well, it's a good thing we're on the job, then," Goofy said to lighten the duck's mood.

"So the worlds aren't at peace after all?" Sora was the one to speak next, his eyes scanning the floor as if it was the most interesting thing here. He opened the door, only for Donald and Goofy to push in before him.

Inside sat a man in a gold chair. The room was filled with books and different unfamiliar artifacts. The windows were cut in the shape of stars and moons. They allowed us to see the dark sky outside of the tower. The desk that the man was sitting in was filled with papers that I was guessing was important. The man himself was clad in a blue robe and a tall, pointy, blue hat. His beard was about as long as my hair and gray. So this was the King's teacher, huh? Donald and Goofy were bowing down in front of him. I followed in behind Sora, my eyes roaming around the room. It was filled with tons of books containing knowledge. That was for sure.

"Master Yen Sid! It's an honour!" Donald said.

Sora, not sensing the respect in the duck's tone, waved his large hand. "Hey, there!" He grinned.

Donald smacked the teenager on the arm. "Sora!" he snapped. His eyes were narrowed with disbelief. "Show some respect!"

I wanted to laugh as Sora sheepishly scratched the back of his head. It wouldn't be a good time for that, though. The bearded man, on the other hand, ignored the two's little exchanged. He glanced over at Sora with an unreadable expression. "So, you are Sora. Hello, Sasuke." His eyes wandered over to me. I shivered; how did this guy know me? "Now then, have you seen the King yet?"

Goofy nodded. "Yes, we did, Master. But we didn't get a chance to talk to him."

"Yes . . . the King has been quite busy as of late. Therefore, it would seem that the task of instructing you four falls upon my shoulders. You have a perilous journey ahead of you. You must be well prepared."

"You mean . . ." Sora trailed off. "We have to go on another quest?" The disappointment in his tone was all too visible as he added, "I was looking forward to finding my friend Riku, so we could go back to the islands."

Master Yen Sid nodded. "Yes. I know. However, everything in your journey, Sora, is connected. Whether you will find your way home to the islands . . . Whether you will return alone or with Riku and or Sasuke . . . And, whether or not the islands will still be there. And the key that connects them all is you, Sora."

"I'm . . . the Key?" Sora mumbled. I stared at the boy. So many conflicting thoughts must have been running through his head. To know that he was the one who could change everything must have been a big responsibility.

"Chosen wielder of the Keyblade!" Yen Sid continued. "You are the key that will open the door to light. And you must keep the small one intact. If anything were to happen, you three wouldn't be the only ones suffering a great loss." He glanced over at me once more. They wouldn't be the only one's suffering a great loss? I had no family, no kind of idea about my real birth world; who besides them would miss me? And why was it enough to force the Master to point it out. Before I could ask him, he pushed a book toward us. "This book contains valuable knowledge you will need for your journey. Study it carefully. Once you have finished, we will speak of the enemies you will surely confront."

We stared at the book. Well, it was time to get reading . . .

* * *

 **SORA'S HAND REACHED** up to scratch at his head. We've been reading the book for all of twenty minutes. With every page, the brunet stopped to ask a question. They were always answered, but now that we had read it cover to cover, it was obvious that he now had a ton more. "But wait a sec -" the boy said, looking over at Yen Sid. I stood up from my spot seated on the floor and walked over the desk. "How come the Heartless are still running around?"

Yen Sid wasn't fazed by his constant questions. "Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness; make no mistake about that," he answered. Sora scratched his chin. "However, the Heartless are darkness made real - and darkness yet lingers in every heart. The Heartless are fewer. But while darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them."

We sighed. That meant that the Heartless weren't going anywhere. "Gawrsh, that must mean . . ." Goofy started. "If everybody's heart was full of light, them Heartless'd go away!"

"Now it is time to speak of the enemies that you will encounter." Yen Sid waved his hand toward a corner of the room. Our eyes went wide as a hologram of Donald appeared. Though, what was the most disturbing was the fact that the hologram morphed into a small Heartless. The duck almost fainted. "If one such as you, Donald, yields to the darkness in their heart, they too will become a Heartless. But you know this. The Heartless are always lurking and ever seeking to capture new hearts. Never let your guard down! Now then . . ." The hologram changed into one of those silver, graceful creatures that we had fought in front of the train station. I quickly hid my necklace underneath my shirt so no one could see the matching symbols. "At times, if someone with a strong heart and will - be they evil or good - becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own. An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away . . . a spirit that goes on even as its boy fades from existence - for you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all. Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse - they only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived."

My eyes stayed glued to the creature as it swung its hips. "Nobodies . . ." I whispered to myself. The name sounded familiar. "They don't exist . . ."

Three more holograms of the creatures popped up in front of us, making Donald jump. "Now then . . . the being you see before you is known as a Dusk," Yen Sid explained. "They are the most common form of Nobody. But there are others - some larger, some with frightening and unique powers. Be vigilant! On your journey, you will meet an alarming number of Dusks. They will all attempt to do you harm. Still, they are nothing but empty shells, destined to return to darkness. But -" With a wave of his hand, the Dusk holograms were replaced by holograms of people in black cloaks. The hoods were covering their heads, not allowing us to see their faces. Sora went stiff at the sight. Wasn't there something like that when I had woke up in that abandoned mansion? "The beings you see before you now are different. These powerful Nobodies have formed a group called Organization XIII. It commands the lesser Nobodies."

"Organization XIII?" Sora repeated.

"While Heartless act on instinct, Nobodies function in a higher manner. They can think and plan. And it seems they are working towards a goal. What that goal is, we do not know. The King sensed the danger, and journeyed forth to fight it. He found the dark realm's Keyblade, and with it, closed the door. Now he's traveling from world to world, fighting the Heartless as he seeks the answer to the riddle of the Nobodies and Organization XIII."

"Then I guess we better go find the King first!" Sora said.

Donald tapped his chin. "But where could he be?"

"Well, we won't know 'til we look," Goofy pointed out. I nodded in agreement. He was right.

"Yeah. And the King must know where Riku is 'cause the two of them were together in the realm of darkness when we close the door," Sora added. "You know, after defeating Ansem."

"So, before you go, you will need more suitable traveling clothes," Yen Sid said. I felt that he was talking about my tight shirt and Sora's sock-clad feet. Or Sora's shorts which were almost the same length as mine on him. Or the fact that Sora's bellybutton was almost showing. "Those look . . . a bit too small for you two. Through there, you'll find three good fairies. If you ask, they'll create for you appropriate garments."

Goofy tried not to laugh at us. "Gawrsh, guys, you sure are growing fast."

Sora attempted to pull down his shirt. "Uh, I guess . . . Hehehe . . ."

Yen Sid pointed to a door in the corner of the room. I was the first to walk to it, twisting the knob with hopes of at least getting Sora some new shoes. Sora was right behind me, trying to cover up his stomach as if he just now noticed that it was exposed. Inside of the room stood three women in a room similar to Yen Sid's. One was in a green dress, one in a red, and the other one was in a blue one. They all had gray hair, hinting toward their elderly age. They turned around in unison, their pretty eyes going wide. I shifted nervously a bit in my spot.

The one in the red dress was the one who spoke next. "Well, look who's here, dears! Sora, Donald, Sasuke, and Goofy!" she almost squealed. Did everyone here already know us?

The one in the blue dress stepped closer to me. "Ooh, if you're looking for clothes, you've come to the right place!" she said happily.

"I'll do the designing!" the one in the green dress said. She waved her wand at Sora and I. A blast of light shot from it, changing our clothes to the same ones, but with a green hue.

"Oh, that will never do!" the blue one argued. She changed our outfits blue, making me sigh. This could take a while.

"Now, now, dears!" The red one changed our outfits red.

"But don't you like this better?" The green one changed our outfits green.

"Hold on!" The red one changed our outfits red.

"Are you certain?" The green one changed our outfits green.

"Blue!"

"Red!"

"Green!"

"Red!"

"Blue!"

Sora let out a groan. "Aww, would you just decide?" he carefully asked the woman. Thankfully, he did it so that I wouldn't have to.

The women gasped before nodding. "All right, then. Together now, dears. And no more squabbling!" the red one said. The others nodded in agreement. They waved their their wands all at once. The flashes of light hit Sora and I. Hopefully, they could agree. But, my thoughts were cut off by the women gasping. "Oh, my! Ooh, they look lovely! Oh, yes! He does look very dashing. And Sasuke looks so much more gorgeous without all those dark colours on."

My eyes wandered over to Sora first. His once red-themed clothes had been changed to black ones. His shirt, jacket, and shorts now fit. There were hints of blue, red, and yellow here and there. For example, the belts around his shorts were a bright yellow. Though, what he seemed the most happy about were the black and yellow high tops on his feet. He gave me a smile, motioning for me to look at myself.

I was wearing the same black shorts, though with only one belt instead of two. My dark blue tank top had been replaced with a white crop top of some sort with no straps, red shoelaces keeping the garment up. There were wrapped around my biceps as bracelets, a shoelace tied from my left elbow to my left wrist, and the same black glove on my right hand. My high tops had been replaced with white higher high tops stopping below my knees. They had cut my bangs, giving me side bangs that now made my left eye visible and using a red headband to keep the rest of my hair out of my face. But, what bothered me the most was the black thigh highs they gave me . . . with the same upside down heart symbol as on my necklace on either side of the tights. How had they known about that? And what was up with the shoelaces and crop top?

"Now, Sora, those aren't ordinary garments that you have on," the red woman said, tearing my attention away from my outfit. Did I really want to walk around with the Nobody symbol on the sides of my thigh highs? "They have very special powers. Take the orb, dear, and watch what happens." She made a floating, yellow orb appear in front of the boy. His black gloved hand hesitantly reached out for it. Once he had it, his outfit changed into a black and red one. In his right hand was his Kingdom Key. In his left hand was a new Keyblade.

I could feel my jaw go slack. That was cool. "Wow," Donald, Goofy, and I mused in unison. "Two Keyblades!"

"This journey is going to be twice as difficult as difficult as your last," the woman in the blue dress pointed out. Of course it was if Sora was going to need two Keyblades. At that, the brunet let out a sigh. "Your garments also have other powers - but you will have to discover what they are as you continue on your journey."

Sora nodded. "Okay, I'll do my best. And thanks a lot!" he said.

"Yeah, thank you!" I said. "Man, it's so weird to see with both of my eyes. Why didn't I cut my bangs a long time ago?"

Everyone laughed at me. "Oh, and there's something else for you - from Master Yen Sid," the woman in green said. "See him right away."

We nodded, saying our thanks as we walked out of the room. I felt so much better now that my clothes fit. It was clear that Sora did, too, because he could not take his eyes off of his shoes. What worried me the most was the Nobody symbol. Why was that on my thigh highs in the first place? Did it have to be there? It felt like a mark that branded me, just like Sora's crown necklace. There was always something resembling a crown on his clothes. Now there was the Nobody symbol on mine. What was with that?

Yen Sid stood at the window. He was staring out of it at something outside. It didn't take long for Donald and Goofy to figure out what it was. The bright orange blocks gave it away. "Hey! It's the Gummi Ship!" Donald cheered. Now we would be able to leave this world.

Sora looked over at the three of us. "So, you guys ready to go?" he asked. We nodded.

"Now, now, just a moment." We looked over at Yen Sid. "Because of your previous endeavors, the worlds have returned to their original states. That means the pathways between them have disappeared."

"How do we get around, then?" I asked.

Yen Sid merely chuckled. "Do not fear. If what the King suspected proves true, the worlds have prepared new pathways along which you may travel. These pathways may be utilized by unlocking special gates. How these gates are opened, I'm afraid I do not know. However, the Keyblade will serve as your guide. When a beam of light radiates from the Keyblade, return to the Gummi Ship. Though the world may seem far apart and out of reach, they nonetheless remain connected by invisible ties. As do our hearts."

"Our hearts are connected . . ." Sora repeated. His eyes were staring at the floor again.

Yen Sid nodded. "That is correct. But be warned. As you proceed, the Heartless and the Nobodies will be using their own paths: corridors of darkness, to travel from world to world. They may be attempting to link these dark pathways to the gates between the worlds."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Donald quacked.

"Now then, that is all the information I can give to you at this moment. Go forth, Sora, Donald, Sasuke, and Goofy. Everyone is waiting."

"Okay, let's get going!" Sora smiled at us. We nodded before bowing down to the man. "Master Yen Sid, thank you. We sure do appreciate the help."

It was time to go. It was time to go face the world once more. Though, this time, I had no intent in straying away from my friends . . .

* * *

 **Hello! That's a good length for a chapter, eh? A lot of information was given, but what you interpret out of it is up to you. :) Also, Sasuke's new outfit was somewhat inspired by Yuna in Final Fantasy X-2. Give that a look if you want to see it. Oh, and I apologize for taking so long to update, but on the bright side #NewClothesForSora. Review and tell me your theories and what you think!**

 **~ Insane**


	9. Hollow Bastion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHT: HOLLOW BASTION**

 **SASUKE**

 **"We both have a lot of growing up to do . . . A lot of the world to see and figure out on our own."  
\- Emily Griffin**

* * *

 **EVERYTHING SEEMED TO** be exactly how we left it. There was even the red blanket that Sora slept under resting in the back seat. The image was definitely reassuring. Though we had changed, not everything did.

Another thing that didn't change was Donald not allowing us to drive.

Sora had flopped back into the back seat with a frown. "Come on, I'll be sixteen in a few months. It's about time I learned how to drive this thing, don't ya think?" he argued as the duck started up the engine. The Gummi Ship rose into the air in silence. Sora may have been old enough to drive now, but that didn't stop Donald from thinking about the last time the brunet had crashed us. With a jerk, the ship shot into space, knocking Sora and I back into our seats. "You can't drive any better than I can!"

"Maybe if you put your seat belts on, you wouldn't have that problem," Donald replied. The teenage let out a huff before buckling up like he was instructed to do. I did the same, not wanting to be tossed around again. "Now that that's solved, it's time to get back in action! Worlds here we come!"

* * *

 ** _PERHAPS AT THE_** _end of the day, all that they ever wanted was each other. They wanted to remain friends for as long as they could. For however long time would allow them to be. Fate had brought them together by chance. They wanted it to separate them by chance, too._

 _The door creaked open, allowing the sounds of soft snoring to surface from the bedroom. Sora's mother peered inside. The room was dark save for the light of the moon shining in. Everything cast a shadow, stretching from the floors to the blue walls. The window was open, allowing the cold, island wind to blow the curtains to and fro. Toy cars and crayons were scattered around the floor. Though what tugged at her heart strings the most was the three kids on the floor._

 _Sora was leaning his back against the frame of his bed. Sasuke was by his side, her head resting on his shoulder as if it was the most comfortable thing in the world. The brunet's head was leaning on top of hers, his mouth ajar to let his small snores out. In his hand was a brown crayon. Riku was lying on the floor, too, his body placed right by the pair's feet. They were all asleep. Tired from their childish adventures of the day._

 _His mother stepped in to close the window. With a push, the glass closed and blocked the cold air from coming inside. The children sure did look freezing. But, she didn't have the heart to wake them. Instead, she pulled the blanket off of Sora's bed, and placed it over the three. She pried the crayon from her son's little hands, too. Though, she stopped when she noticed the drawing right by him._

 _Her son wasn't the best artist, but she could clearly make out the three people in the picture. Sora, Sasuke, and Riku. "Sora . . ." his mother sighed, looking down at her spiky-haired son. They might as well have a sleepover since they were already asleep. It wasn't like Riku's mother would mind, and she was sure that Sasuke would enjoy not waking up alone for once. She picked the drawing up with full intentions of framing it and hanging it on the living room wall. "You always did have the biggest heart, didn't you?"_

* * *

 **THIS TOWN WAS** bustling with activity, that was for sure. Everyone was walking around with a clear destination in mind. Ever since the four of us landed here, we had been faced with nothing but sellers attempting to give us fresh produce and items. This place was filled with life, but we only remembered it for what it once was. The cobblestone ground and machinery gave it all away.

Sora took a giant step further into the town. In the distance, past all the shops and buildings, was a castle. It was several feet high, covered in bronze gears and elegant designs, giving it a steam punk effect. Construction machines were attached to the castle. It was still a work in progress, being restored one bit at a time. It gave me vivid flashbacks of the possessed Riku. Flashbacks of me in that very castle. Flashbacks of the first time that I ever had to cry out for help. My body inwardly flinched from the memory. The thing that once proved the end for me now meant the beginning for so many people . . . a rebuilding world.

"We're back in Hollow Bastion," Sora confirmed all of our suspicions by saying. He was looking over at the different shops located in the town centre. Flower beds were scattered along the cobblestone paths to fill the area with colour. One of the merchants were even selling ice-cream. This didn't look like the place where we had struggled so much. I took a few steps over to the boy. This place gave me nothing but an intense wave of deja vu. Did he feel it in the air, too?

Goofy's eyes wandered around the town with sudden interest. "Gawrsh, it looks kinds different now, don't ya think?"

We nodded in unison as the small duck added, "I hope Leon and the gang are okay."

Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith were in this world? Were they no longer in Traverse Town? The mental image of the the gentle girl, the active ninja, and the serious-faced man brought a smile to my face. The three had helped us on our journey from the very beginning of it all. Especially Leon. Though he appeared mean and uncaring, he was one of the nicest people that we knew. However, my nostalgia was cut short by the sound of clanking metal. Above one of the wooden rooftops was two armoured Heartless. The dark knights twitched around a few times before disappearing in black portals. We scanned the area once more. Luckily, none of the citizens had seen the creatures, and were carrying on as usual. Sadly, the Heartless were still in this world.

"Uh oh . . ." Goofy let out a long sigh. It was a rare sound coming from the happy-go-lucky dog. If he was getting a bad feeling, you knew that it was real. The blood hound must have sensed something coming. "Looks like we're gonna have to do some fightin'."

An inaudible sigh blew from my lips as I began walking through the town square. Multiple houses were scattered along the pathways, indicating that Hollow Bastion had a large population. The air was slightly stale from the usage of heavy machinery. It didn't bother me too much, but it was still thick enough for me to take note of it. Three three were at my side in seconds. Sora, in particular, seemed to have a certain bounce in his step, no doubt testing out his new - and apparently comfortable - high tops. I subconsciously tossed a lock of long, blue-black hair over my shoulder. Out of everyone here, he looked like he was the most happy with his new clothes. I, on the other hand, was self-conscious about the multiple Nobody symbols adorning my body. Goofy, Sora, and Donald must have already been forming questions by this point. What did they think about it? Better yet, were the Nobodies in this town, too?

 _"Sasuke, Daddy doesn't want you taking that necklace off, all right?"_

The sudden voice in my head brought me to a full stop. What the hell was that? _Who_ the hell was that? We were in an empty alley, so it couldn't have been anyone around here. Donald looked over at me in confusion. But his attention was soon focused on something else. White, digital circles began appearing in the ground. The four of us froze, clearly thinking the same thing. Were these weapons of the Nobodies? The digital circles were surrounding us in a somewhat sloppy circle. What was going on? Where we under attack?

I dodged one of the circles that made appeared in front of me. "What is this stuff?" I asked, knowing well enough that I wouldn't get an answer out of anyone. Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked just as I did. They couldn't tell me. They didn't know, either.

"That's the town's defense mechanism."

My head tilted upwards to see where the voice was coming from. Standing on a high platform was the fuzzy outline of a person. It was too far away to tell who it was. However, I could just about make out their short black hair and black belt wrapped around their head. The person smiled before sending a salute our way. There was no way of mistaking it now. It was none other than the self-titled ninja. "Yuffie!" I shouted with a grin. It was good to see her again, despite her being the reason for a few of my injuries last year.

"No way! Is that you, Sasuke! Hey, look out!"

A group of Nobodies had spawned around us in a wide circle. The boys summoned their weapons while I prepared to stand my ground. A few of the Nobodies were looking in my direction. The zippers keeping their mouths closed opened, allowing the creatures to let out a scream. Their hips swayed side to side, though, with further inspection, I noticed that they were swaying toward me. Sora stepped in front of me to draw their attention away - knowing that I couldn't summon my Keyblade to defend myself right now - and charged at those Nobodies first. The digital circles in the ground attacked any Nobody that stepped foot inside of them. So they were helping . . . and they sure made the fight go a lot faster.

"Hey, you guys!" Yuffie shouted once the last of the pesky silver creatures were gone. She leaped down from her platform to land in front of us. Still as stealthy as ever. It was obvious that we weren't the only ones who had grown. She was slightly taller and wearing all black opposed to her previous bright clothes. It made her look more . . . mature. Sprinting over to me, she wrapped her arms around my torso to bring me into a hug. A wheeze escaped my lips from the pressure she was making on my lungs. "I see you're still in top form. And this one is awake! How did you guys do it? She was a corpse the last time I saw her. When I seen you guys standing there, I was like "wait, that can't be Sasuke," but then I seen the long hair and I was like "that totally her!" It's so good to see you, Sasuke! You're not that flat-chested little twerp anymore!"

I glared at the girl even though my face was turning blue. "Hey!"

Sora pounded his chest with a victorious grin, trying change the subject before it got out of hand. "What? Did you expect us to go soft?" he teased. "Looks like you're doing okay. And . . . Sasuke is a rather long story . . ."

Yuffie finally released her hold on me. I collapsed onto all fours, attempting to get the air back in. The ninja just thought the scene was funny. "Well, now you don't have to cry over her anymore, huh?"

I looked up at Sora, who suddenly found his fingernails interesting. "Sora," I started, climbing back onto my feet. "You were crying?"

"I wasn't crying!" He glared down at the ninja.

"Yeah, sure." Yuffie snickered.

"I wasn't!"

Donald stuck up a feathered finger to silence us. We looked down at the duck with raised eyebrows. Why did he interrupt? It was just getting good. "How are the others?" Donald asked. He was moving on to more important matters. Something that the rest of us should have been doing instead of playing family reunion.

"They're great!" Yuffie grinned.

"Hey, Yuffie . . ." Sora trailed off. The girl glanced up at the teenage boy, a visible frown growing on her face when she realized that he was now taller than her. She clearly didn't like that fact. Back in Traverse Town, the two of them were about the same height. "Have you seen the King and Riku around here?

She shook her head twice. "No, but I had a feel that I'd see you four again."

Sora leaned his body on the wall behind his as he crossed his arms over his chest. The once airy atmosphere he held around him disappeared. "We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other," he quoted with an even deeper voice. His expression grew serious, giving us a piercing, hardened gaze. Even his lips were pulled into a straight line.

Shocking everyone, I burst out into fits of laughter. "Is that supposed to be an impersonation of Leon?" I asked. The brunet simply scratched the back of his head. It wasn't that bad. In fact, it was a good impersonation of the older man. He even got the look of inner turmoil down to a tee. Donald and Goofy laughed, too. If Leon were here, he'd definitely be sighing right now.

Yuffie chuckled, shaking her head. "Everybody's working on stuff over at Merlin's house," she announced. Turning on the heels of her shoes, she sprinted down one of the town's pathways. "Come on! I'm sure they'll be glad to see you guys!"

We ran after. With everyone here, things were really going to get interesting. Especially since things were already looking better now that Yuffie was with us. The aura around us even seemed to be happier. It was like we were being reunited with a cousin that we hadn't seen in years. In a way, that was sort of a case. But, rather, we were being reunited with a ninja that we hadn't seen in a year.

She led us down an alleyway and into an open area. The open area was surrounded my houses. One house, in particular, had lights flashing out from the windows. Yuffie stepped over to that house, not surprising me. Of course they would be in that house. The house that drew in the most attention. The girl knocked on the wooden door three times before gripping the black doorknob. She sent us a smile. It was a cheery one. Yuffie was just as happy as we were, if not even more.

She pushed the door open, walking in with a pep to her step. Three pairs of eyes were immediately on us. "Meet the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee!" she introduced. Sitting in front of a large computer in the corner of the room was Cid, Leon, and Aerith. Cid had been the best merchant in Traverse Town, giving us better deals than anywhere else. It was good to know that he made it out, too.

Aerith folded her hands together with a gentle grin. "We missed you guys!"

"Well, if you ain't in top shape." Cid smirked. His infamous toothpick was still hanging out of his mouth. His blond hair was still messy. He hadn't changed at all. "Twig-Boy's got some muscle on him now."

Sora's eye twitched at the nickname. Though, it was soon replaced by wide eyes when he seen Leon smiling. He was smiling. An actual smile. It was something that none of us had ever seen before. "I knew it," the man said, his arms crossed over his chest. Yuffie closed the door behind us, her hands pushing us further into the room to get situated.

"Knew what?" Sora asked.

"A while back, everyone suddenly remembered you guys, all at the same time," he explained.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy frowned. I tugged on one of the five earrings embedded in my right ear. That didn't sound too good. "Wait!" Sora cried. "Does that mean you forgot about us?! Thanks!"

Attempting to change the subject, Yuffie asked, "So where've you guys been all this time?"

"We were sleepin'," Goofy replied. I almost laughed. He made it sound like they were lazying off for an entire year.

Cid thumped the toothpick hanging between his lips. "Where? In cold storage?" he joked. We scratched the back of our heads. That wasn't entirely off.

"It doesn't matter." Aerith smiled. "This is great. Everyone's together again."

Leon glanced down at me with that same ghost of a smile. "Oh, and look. Sasuke's awake. Looks like Sora can stop crying now," he teased. I looked over at the boy to see him turning his head to the side. Was he really crying? There was suddenly a guilty weight on my shoulders. It was never my intention to make him cry.

"Why does everyone keep saying that I was crying? I wasn't!" Sora defended.

Aerith lightly giggled, much to Sora's dismay. "You may not have been crying, but your heart was."

"What?" Sora's nose scrunched up to prove that he didn't know what any of them were talking about. Shaking his head, he changed the subject once more. Onto something that didn't involve him. "So, um . . . we're trying to find Riku and the King. Have you seen 'em?"

Not another word was said. They knew just as much about their whereabouts as we did. Nothing. Riku and the King weren't in this town despite all of our hopes and wishes. "Sorry," Aerith apologized. "But let us know if there's anything we can do to help. Okay?"

"Okay." Sora nodded. "Thanks -"

Cid jumped up of of his seat. He moved closer to look Sora in the eye, causing the brunet to take a few steps back. With every step back Sora took, Cid took a step forward. "Don't go thankin' us just yet, Twig-Boy," he said.

"Hollow Bastion's got a problem," Leon added. "A big problem."

Sora poked his head around Cid. "You mean, like Nobodies? And Heartless?" he asked. Yuffie gave him a thumbs up. "Sounds like you could use our help."

"Yup, put those new guns to work, Twig-Boy."

Sora shot Cid a glare as Leon uncrossed his arms. "Then let's cut to the chase. Sora, Donald, Sasuke, Goofy, we were hoping the four of you might give us a hand around here."

Sora pounded his chest with a smirk. "Like we're gonna say no?"

"I forgot who I'm dealing with." Leon shook his head with a small smile.

"Hey," I piped. "What do you mean by that?"

Aerith shrugged. "Just think of it as a sort of "Leon compliment."

The tall man began walking to the front door without a word. He was complimenting us? His gloved hands pulled the door open. "Follow me to the bailey - there's something you need to see," he announced. The four of us nodded, starting for the door after him. However, we stopped when a cloud of sparkles appeared in front of us.

The sparkles drifted away to leave an old man in a blue robe behind. My lips tilted up into a smile. It was Merlin. "Oh!" He squeaked when he seen us. "I thought it was you! Right on time!"

"Sora and the gang said they're gonna help out," Yuffie told the wizard.

"Splendid! We'll count on you! Ah, yes! Did you give them the cards, dear?"

"Oh!" Aerith gasped. She dug her hands into the pockets of her pink dress to retrieve something. Pulling out four cards, she walked over to us. What were those? "Here . . . they're presents for you. Leon thought you might like to have them."

She placed the card in each one of our hands. It was a purple card with a picture of the Hollow Bastion castle on the front. I turned it around, my eyes going wide when I read the lettering on the back. "Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honourary Member!" I read. Underneath those words was my neatly written name. "They're membership cards."

Goofy grinned, waving his around. "Kinda cool, huh?"

"Hey, thanks, Le-ahhhh . . ." Sora trailed off when he seen that the brunet was no longer there. "Oh, no! We're supposed to be at the bailey!"

* * *

 **3rd Person P.O.V.**

* * *

 **THEY RAN OUT** of the house without another word. It was no question as to how they picked up exactly where they left off. You do that when you make strong bonds with people. They weren't too sure if that statement had always been true, but this just proved it. True friends never forget. And as Donald, Goofy, Yuffie, Sasuke, Aerith, and Sora piled out of the house in search of Leon, they could feel it. Hollow Bastion felt exactly like Traverse Town. It felt like where their friends were.

Sora had called out to the girl dressed in pink once they were a bit away from the house. Aerith. The girl turned around to look at the boy. Her sweet face held no concern, only hope that things will get better. Perhaps that's why Sora liked talking to her the most. She knew the positive outcomes of everything. She didn't like looking at the negatives. But, now, he wasn't too sure if there _was_ a positive for the girl to look forward to.

"Hey, Aerith?" he asked. She hummed a reply. The group was still walking ahead of the two, laughing as they reminisced about their previous times together. The boy found himself scratching his chin, unsure if he wanted to know the answer to his question. "You said that my heart was crying earlier. What did you mean by that?"

Aerith wanted to chuckle at the boy. The embarrassment and nervousness written on his face was too bold for anyone not to notice. "You thought that you had suffered a loss," the girl's smooth voice explained. His eyebrows pulled low. "When the heart loses someone that it carries deep within it, someone that it loves, it cries. You were mourning on the inside. You tried to be tough when it happened, but everyone could still see it."

His gaze shifted over to the group in front of him. Sasuke was trying to wiggle out of the hold that Yuffie had around her neck. "Mourning on the inside?"

She nodded her head. "That cracking feeling here -" she pointed a thin finger to the boy's chest - causing his eyebrows to furrow even deeper - and continued, "It wasn't just an exaggeration."

That was all that she could say. The older girl jogged to catch up with the arguing group, leaving the boy confused. What was she talking about? He didn't understand. Was there a cracking feeling there once?

 _"No, you're lying!" Sora shouted, moving Donald out of the way to check for himself. "Sasuke! Sasuke! Open your eyes! Please!"_

Yup, there it was. That audible crack that sounded like glass being stepped on. He remembered it now.

"Yo, Sora!" Yuffie shouted, pulling the boy away from his puzzling thoughts. He looked over to see her and Sasuke laughing together with a seething Donald next to them. Her arm was still wrapped around Sasuke's neck, but the girl no longer seemed to care. "Doesn't Donald look more like a chicken than a duck?!"

Donald began screaming at the two while Sora took a deep breath. Maybe he _was_ crying that day. "Someone that it loves, huh?" he mumbled to himself before running to catch up with the group. Or at least, he thought it was to himself.

The cloaked girl leaning against one of the buildings, hiding in the shadows, felt herself sigh. "Kid, you don't know what's hitting you . . ."

* * *

 **Hello! To end winter break, I'm going on an update streak. My stories will be updated everyday (or at least every other day) until next Thursday. Wish me luck, ha ha :)**

 **~ Insane**


	10. Seven Members

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINE: SEVEN MEMBERS**

 **SASUKE**

 **"Your past is always your past. Even if you forget it, it remembers you."  
\- Sarah Dessen**

* * *

 **"LOOK AT THAT."**

Our eyes trailed down to the view that Leon had pointed out to us. Yuffie and Aerith had led us to the bailey where the brunet man was waiting. Though, as soon as we got there, they mentioned something about Cid needing them before they jogged away. This left us alone in the dark place. The walls, the floor, even the ceiling was plastered in cobblestone. It would have been completely black if it were not for the hole carved into one of the windows. It let the sunlight shine in to illuminate the bailey. But, there was one thing in front of some of that sunlight, causing a shadow on the ground and walls. It was Leon.

He had motioned us over with a simple tilt of his head. Enough to send the message of urgency to us. We rushed over to the hole in the wall he had been seated on. But, that was where we seen it. My breath hitched into my throat.

The bronze, gear-covered castle sat off in the distance like an unattainable goal. It was surrounded by a ditch dug around it in a wide circle. The ditch itself was filled with dark water. Or, at least, until I looked closer. The ditch was not filled with dark water; the ditch was filled with the swarming, dark abyss of thousands upon thousands of Heartless. Maybe even millions. They clawed at the walls to get out of the ditch, but it was too high. There was so many of them.

"We want to restore Hollow Bastion to what it used to be. Who knows - maybe even something better. There's still a lot to do, but I'm sure we can handle everything . . ." Leon stood up from his seat on the ledge. He moved to stand besides me. Even know - with me growing a few inches - he was a skyscraper compared to me. Motioning a hand to the ditch of Heartless, he mumbled, ". . . except . . . for that . . . and that."

He pointed a finger toward something on the ground below. Two Nobodies gracefully walked along the path. Their hips swung in sync with each other without a care in the world. They were so free. So without worry. I found myself staring at them while Sora sighed. Could these graceful creatures really be our biggest enemies yet?

Sora waved Leon off with a giant hand. "Don't worry. We'll handle 'em."

"Well, that's good to hear," Leon said. I could since an undertone in his voice. It was either relief or amusement. Knowing him, it could be either. "So, Sora - do you know what's going on, then?"

Sora crossed his toned arms over his chest and leaned against the cobblestone wall behind him. His silver chain with the symbolic crown hanging from it rustled from the action. He was beginning to act more and more out of Leon. Whether it was out of habit or a newfound maturity, I did not know. "There's this guy, Pete, who's been going around plotting with the Heartless. But, he's not smart enough to tie his own shoes." A ghost of a smile appeared on my face at his little joke. Nonetheless, he let out a heavy breath. "The ones we need to worry about are the Nobodies."

"And those Organization Thirteen guys in charge, too!" Goofy added.

"You called?"

The deep voice that spoke hadn't come from any of us. It was too deep, too maniacal to belong to us. Our eyes looked around the area for the source of it. There was no doubt that the voice belonged to a member of the Organization XIII - they had confirmed that themselves. Where had it come from? Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Leon stepped out of the cobblestoned area to look around. I peered over the edge of the hole in the wall. Wherever the voice was, it sounded close. They couldn't be too far away from where we were."

"You're doing well. She's safe, too, I see. I suppose I should thank you for that, but I haven't really got the heart for it."

Sora summoned his Keyblade. "Who is that?" he snapped to the empty air around him.

"This calls for a celebration . . ."

Celebration? I turned around to find out what everyone was talking about. However, instead of seeing Sora talking to someone, the image of two Nobodies crawling out of the ground greeted me. The boys were too busy to notice me being cornered. My Keyblade couldn't be summoned; what was I to do? The zippers keeping the creatures' mouths closed undid themselves. Large mouths opened to let out a cry. Slowly, my feet carried me backwards to get away from them. What was I going to do?

A arm wrapped around my waist to move me out of the way. It had all happened so fast. The Nobodies sprung to attack, but they were knocked back by something. Leon was standing in front of me. The long, silvery gun blade was in his hand like a force to be reckoned with. Though, I wasn't given enough time to analyze the situation. My body was shoved out of the way, causing me to stumbled back a few feet. With a loud slam, the iron gates leading into the cobblestoned area closed . . . with Sora and Leon inside. Hoards of Nobodies spawned around them. Sora had moved me out of the way.

He gave me a glance from the corner of his eye. The grip he had on his Keyblade was so tight that his knuckles had begun to turn white. "Stay right there!" he commanded. I didn't want them to fight by themselves, but I also wasn't going to disobey my best friend's wishes. "We'll be done in a minute. Don't move."

True to his word, they finished all of the creatures in five minutes tops. Sora swung his heavy key over his shoulder, and marched over to join Goofy, Donald and me. Leon was right behind him with an irritated expression on his defined face. It was no wonder he was irritated. The attack was random, it would have ticked anyone off.

"The Keyblade . . . a truly marvelous weapon. Were it only in more . . . capable hands . . ."

Sora frowned, looking around the area to find no one. Yet, we could still hear the laughter of multiple people. "Show yourselves!"

It was then when we seen them. Seven. There were seven of them. They had appeared through portals of darkness on the rooftops of the bailey - seven black cloaked figures in total. Their hoods shielded their faces from our view, but that didn't make them any less scary. If fact, it might have made them even more scary than they already were. My throat ran dry just at the sight. It was them, the people who wanted to cause destruction. They wanted to bring so much pain and suffering to accomplish their goal - whatever that may be. But, that wasn't what concerned me. My body had refused to move in even the slightest twitch. I had never been one to be frightened . . . but, right now . . . there was no way that I wasn't. This feeling creeping up on me . . . it was nothing but pure terror. I was paralyzed with fear.

 _"Sasuke, Daddy doesn't want you taking that necklace off, all right?"_

"Organization Thirteen . . ." Sora mumbled. His eyes were narrowed into slits and he was biting down on his bottom lip. Did he not feel it? Did he not feel the fear coursing through his veins? Because I could, and, boy, did it feel awful. "Good. Now we can settle this!"

The cloaked man standing in the middle chuckled. "What a shame . . . And here I thought we could be friends. You _did_ do me a favour after all."

Portals of darkness appeared again as a round of laughs came from them. It echoed through the cobblestone walls like a torturous song on replay. And then, in that instant, they were gone. All except for one. This one was shorter than the other six. The sleeves of their cloak were a lot thinner, too, along with their waist. The Organization member looked down at us before tossing something down. Were they attacking? I took a step back, preparing to run if need be. But, as the object spun in the air like a ninja star, and landed in the ground between my feet, I knew that she wasn't. It wasn't just any object . . . it was my Keyblade.

"You forgot that." It was a woman's voice. The cloaked member was a woman. There were women in the Organization Thirteen? "You should have stayed away. You guys may have just made the biggest mistake a person could possibly make. Things are going to get hard for you from now on. I trust that you learn how to handle the situation."

What mistake? Why did she have my Keyblade? Was she . . . trying to help us? Before any of us could ask, she was gone. Nothing but a closing portal of darkness was left in her wake. Who was that woman? I yanked the spiked Keyblade out of the ground. It felt almost foreign to have it back in my hands. It's been an entire year since I've used this, hasn't it?

"Stop!" Donald shouted. His webbed feet carried him over to the stairs in attempt to reach where the Organization Thirteen once stood. But, when one of them spawned in front of him, he came to a screeching stop. This one wasn't the woman. This one didn't look all too friendly, either. Still, it didn't scare the duck one bit. "What's the big idea?!"

The cloaked man waved his hands around. "Oopsie daisy."

"Move!" Sora hissed.

"Now do you think that's polite?" the man teased. His voice was raspy; his words were laced in sarcasm. He was about as tall as Leon with a slender body. I could have passed him off as a female if it had not been for his tone. Who was this guy? Why hadn't he left with the rest of them? "Already shutting me down like that? And here everyone was talking about how nice you were. More like rude."

Sora took a step forward. Despite, the man being bigger than him, the teen showed no sign of nervousness. His face was hardened to the point way passed capable of the normal Sora. "I told you to get out of the way, right?"

"As if! You can talk all you want, but that won't change a thing."

"Then we're just gonna have to _make_ you move!" Donald was the one who spoke this time. He stepped forward, summoning his magic staff. He and Sora both took on fighting stances. They clearly were not in a mood to joke around with the man. None of us were, for that matter.

The man let out a hearty chuckle. "See, that would work - if I were just any old dude. 'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Organization. Nothing "any old" about me."

"Hmph." Sora rolled his eyes to show that he was unimpressed. The man's words hadn't spooked him in the slightest. Where was he getting this endless supply of confidence from? He hadn't even noticed that I had managed to sneak behind him a bit. He was too wrapped up in getting the man out of his way. There was no way that _I_ was going to mess around with them. They reduced me to nothing but a shaking child. A child trying to hide behind Sora for protection. "Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while his Nobody flunkies did the fighting!"

"Oh, dear. Are you taking shots at me, lover boy?" The man put his hands on his slim hips. Sora's grip on the handle of his Keyblade tightened. He was ready to attack at any moment. When the boy shot him a heated glare, the man wiggled his index finger at him. "You know, no one had ever really thrown shade at me. I think you got the wrong impression -"

"Are you going to cry?"

The man scoffed. Out of everything that Sora had said, that one seemed to tick him off the most. "As if! Why don't I remind you how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is."

"Remind me?"

My hands gripped onto the back of Sora's black jacket. I knew that I probably looked like a little kid clinging onto their parents, but it didn't matter. This whole scenario wasn't good. This man gave be strange vibes that spelled nothing but bad news for us. Sora turned his head to the side to look down at me. All traces of anger once written on his face had been replaced with confusion. His eyes softened, and his eyebrows knitted together. "Don't do it, Sora," I whispered. Don't fight that man. For all that we knew, this guy could be stronger than all of us. Then we'd be screwed. And I'd be without Sora.

"You should listen to your girlfriend," the man teased. Girlfriend? Sora's jaw tensed up before he looked back over at the man. The angry look he had previously returned. Though, that didn't help the confusion from still clouding his face. He was angry and confused. Was he going to fight? Of course he was. But, the man had a different plan. He threw his hooded head back, and let out an exaggerated laugh. "That's right, he used to give me that same exact look. All pissed and clueless."

The brunet boy shook his head with a huff. His right foot took a step back to keep me blocked behind him - as if to let me know that he had my back. Could he tell that I was afraid of this guy? "I guess you think that you can psych me out by saying really random stuff."

"Gee . . . I just don't know anymore," the man mumbled under his breath. That was it. Silence covered the area around us like a thick blanket. None of them were faltering from their defensive positions. Especially Sora, who had not moved a muscle. But, just when I thought a fight was going to break out between them, the man called upon a portal of darkness. With a wave of his hand, he said, "You be a good boy now! Nice seeing you again, girly! I hardly recognized you."

Girly? That nickname . . . where have I heard that before? Girly . . .

 _"Are you kidding me, girly? You can't even colour in the lines. All of your pictures look like shit. Who is this supposed to be, anyways? Me and Luxord? As if! He looks like a pile of blonde shit. Why'd_ I _get stuck on babysitting duty . . ."_

"Wait!" Donald dived forward to catch the man before he had the chance to disappear through the portal. However, the duck was too slow. Instead of catching him, he landed on his face. "Damn it! He got away!"

Who in the world was that man? Faint traces of him were filling my head, but each time they did, his head was blacked out. He was there, nonetheless. I knew that man . . . I think. But, from where? If I truly knew him, why couldn't I piece together where I knew him from? He was nothing but an empty memory. A piece of my mind that had been only seventy percent erased. I raked my brain for answers as to who that man was. The only thing that it earned me was a newly forming headache. My hands reached up to grip my head. The pounding wouldn't stop, but neither would my racing mind. Who was that man?

Sora's arms crossed over his chest, a heavy breath blowing from his lips. "That was weird. _Who_ gave him the same look? There's only one of me." I let out a groan when the pain became too much. He turned around to see me squeezing my eyes shut. My head was hurting and it didn't feel like it was going to stop any time soon. My knees buckled after that. Thankfully, Goofy move to catch me in time before that could happen, causing the tall boy to frown. "Hey! Sasuke, what's wrong?"

"Sasuke," Leon started carefully. "Do you . . . know them?"

I gritted my teeth together. Now that I was no longer fully standing, the pain had subsided to a dull pounding. "I don't . . . know . . ."

"She's covered in Nobody symbols. Sora, are you sure she isn't -"

"Don't even say it," the brunet hissed. He stepped closer to where Goofy was keeping me up, dropping his Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary card in the process. Not that he seemed to care. "She's not. Sasuke, are you okay?"

The pain was no longer an issue for me, but something else had caught my eye. I raised my finger to point behind him. "Sora . . . turn around . . ."

They turned around to see his card rising into the air from where it had fell onto the ground. It was no longer a card. It had changed into an orb of light. Everyone watched the light in the sky with questioning expressions. "What is that?" Sora asked no one in particular. He knew that the rest of us didn't know, either.

"Gawrsh, do ya think . . ."

Goofy's words trailed off when the orb of light shifted into the shape of a glowing keyhole. There it was. This was the keyhole to this world. Sora pointed the Kingdom Key at it; he already knew what to do. There was a beam of light followed by a locking sound. I stood up straight, my episode having ended. This was the first Keyhole that he had locked on our new journey. We were just getting started.

He looked down at his Keyblade with wide cerulean eyes. "Oh, now I get it. That must've been the gate Yen Sid was talking about," he mumbled. With a quick turn, he looked over at the taller brunet. His face was now dripping in determination. Any uneasiness that it could have once held had been completely banished. "Sorry to run, Leon, but other worlds are calling."

Leon nodded in understanding. "Organization Thirteen . . . They look tough. Be careful out there. And, if there is any chance that she does know them, keep them away from Sasuke. I have a feeling that they don't exactly have the best intentions."

"Okay." Sora looked over at me. "Can you walk?"

"Of course. I'm not crippled; it was just a headache."

He rolled his eyes. The ghost of a smile that had pulled on his lips was enough to make me send him one back. Looking back at Leon, he said, "We'll see you soon."

Leon gave us a salute with two fingers. We were going to leave. Any second now, everything was going to start. The journey has just begun. Though, I hope that this one has way less heartache.

* * *

 _"Stop picking on her! She's only -"_

 _"An eight-year-old who knows how to fend for herself. You have to stop babying her, Hixari. If she's depending on you all the time, how is she going to grow up?"_

* * *

 **HI! A short chapter, I know, but this one held a lot of information and I wanted to separate it from the next world. Next is Mulan, are you excited?**

 **Oh, and sorry for not updating for so long!**

 **~ Insane**


	11. The Land Of Dragons

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TEN: THE LAND OF DRAGONS**

 **SASUKE**

 **"I love seeing new places and meeting new people. I'm sort of addicted to traveling."  
\- Erin Heatherton**

* * *

 **"THIS PLACE IS** beautiful."

My gaze roamed the area around us. Bamboo shoots and high grass scattered the area; the sky was bluer compared to any other world. There wasn't even a cloud in the sky. It was only a breeze blowing the grass and bamboo to and fro. Goofy held out a hand to help me out of the Gummi Ship, which I instantly took, not wanting to fall over. He pulled me out, and I heard the crunching of dirt below my knee-high high tops. Even the ground here was rich.

Sora and Donald had been the first ones to climb out of the ship. The duck was complaining about a bruise on his elbow that he had gotten from Sora's steering. Since he was in a good mood, he figured that he might as well teach the teen how to drive, but it didn't go as planned. The brunet had managed to send the ship into loops, spirals, and flips. We were tossed around like rag dolls; Donald's elbow crashed into the side of the ship with the fifth flip. It was safe to say that Sora blew his last chance.

But, on the bright side, Goofy suggested that they teach me how to drive the ship. After this world, it was my turn, and Sora was more than irritated. Whether it was because of the fact that he failed, or that they would rather have me drive, none of us knew. He crossed his arms over his chest before he kicked a rock into the bushes. It was most likely the first reason.

Donald scanned the open area that we landed in with a nod. "Yeah, it is. I wonder where we are, though," he mused. Perhaps I was the only one who seemed to notice that he appeared a little . . . dizzy. His head was swaying side to side as if he were on a boat. We weren't. We were on a flat ground. "Let's get on to business, shall we? The faster we find the Keyhole, the better."

He was right. If the gateways led us to this world, then they Keyhole for this place must still be open. We followed behind the duck without a word. There was no arguing to it. We had to get going . . . Especially since the scent of smoke was lingering in the air. Could I have been the only one to notice it? The smell was heavy, like it was nearby. Why would there be a fire in -

Goofy froze. My face almost collided with his back; if it weren't for him moving out of the way. His dark eyes were zeroed in on something a few feet in front of us. Leaning over from behind him, I noticed that he was staring at a large rock. A shadow-like figure was displayed on the wall. What in the world was that? Goofy bent down to Donald and my height along with Sora.

"Do ya think that's a Heartless?" the duck asked quietly. He nodded his head over to the eerie shaow against the rock. There was a possibility that it could be.

Sora glanced at it one more time before looking back over at us, and said, "I don't know. We should get the jump on it, just in case it is."

"Gawrsh, maybe we should look before we leap -"

Goofy's warning fell upon deaf ears. Sora and Donald left where we were huddled together to charge at the shadow. His hand reached out to grab the hood of Sora's short sleeved jacket, but the boy had gotten too far, the dog missing by a mere inch. They jumped out of the bushes to attack the shadow . . . only for the sound of screams to surface throughout the clearing. A warrior in a suit of armour and a short, black bun flinched away from the pair, their eyes wide with fear. Sora and Donald froze. Whoever that person was, they looked more of a harm to themselves rather than anyone else.

I took a few step forwards to get a better look. The warrior was holding a frightened red . . . lizard in her hands. It's pink, forked tongue slithered out as if warning us to stay back. These guys didn't look nearly as scary as they did a few seconds ago.

Goofy followed beside me, his gloved hand reaching up to scratch his head. "Is that Mushu?" he mumbled more to himself than to anyone else. Did he know these people?

The lizard cracked a smirk. "That's right, I know you heard of me!" he shouted. His voice was deep and contrasted against his tiny body. "I'm little, lethal, and legendary! Now y'all scram before I get my dragon dander up!"

I crossed my arms under my chest. This lizard was fiesty. Nonetheless, the group of boys beside me acted like they knew exactly who this lizard was. I didn't recall ever meeting it before.

"Hey, Mushu! We missed you!" Sora grinned. So, they did know these guys?

The lizard's eyes narrowed into slits. It clearly didn't remember meeting them like they were suggesting. "Well you better _hope_ I miss _you_ , or else you're-"He stopped mid-sentense. His features relaxed a bit from its previous hositlity, lighting up when he scanned us over again. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!"

"Do you know them?" The warrior and I asked at the same time.

The lizard–Mushu–hopped out of her hands, and began taking a step toward us. It couldn't have been any larger than a few inches tall. The warrior eyed the creature, her almond-shaped black eyes going well with her sculpted eyebrows, short lashes, and creamy skin. She was goregous, that was for sure, but that didn't explain why she was in the middle of nowhere dressed like a man and talking to a lizard. Hell, why were _any_ of us talking to a lizard.

It flashed a fang-filled smile at the boys. " _Know_ them? Man, we used to kick all kinds of bad guy butt together! Yeah, you know, I helped these guys out of a lot of tight spots. 'Cause I'm a mighty dragon! Right?" He leaned against Sora's leg for dramatic effect.

My eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, so that's not a lizard?"

"Lizard?!" Mushu whipped his head around to glare at me. "I'm a dragon! D-R-A-G-O-N! Dragon! Who _is_ this chick anyway . . . Callin' me a lizard . . ."

Sora sighed, moving his leg away from the creature. It caused Mushu to go barreling onto the dirt below him. Uncrossing my arms, I answered, "My name's Sasuke. And you guys are . . . ?"

"I'm Mulan." Even her voice was graceful and beautiful. The woman offered me a kind smile before her nose scrunched up. She pretended to clear her throat, pounded her chest a few times, and lowered her tone a few octaves. "Um, no, I-I mean . . ."

Mushu crawled onto his feet. "Ping!"

"Mulan Ping?" Donald quizzed. His tone was one of disbelief. It was good that he made the feeling apparent because I was feeling the same way.

The warrior pumped out her chest. "Just . . . Ping," she cleared up. Her voice was no longer light and graceful, but deep and strained. Why was she trying to lower her voice. "I am Ping, son of Fa Zhou."

Son? Why did she say that she way a boy when she clearly was a woman. You could tell by the silkiness of her onyx hair, the tiny baby hairs scattered along her hair line and swept back into her bun, the pixiness of her small nose, and the fullness of her lips. Her fingers were even long, shapely, smooth, and thin . . . just like a woman's.

"You know Mushu?" Sora asked her.

"How do _you_ guys know Mushu?" I looked up at the brunet with raised eyebrows. Was there something that I had missed?

Goofy was the one to answer. "We met Mushu in Castle Oblivion. He sure did help us out from time to time."

I nodded my head to show that I understood. So that explains why I had no clue who he was. He was around when I had went into my coma of some sorts. He was there when I wasn't with the boys. It was no wonder why we were so confused about each other.

Seeing now as a good time, Ping—so she wanted to be called—decided to answer Sora's question. "Mushu's one of my family's guardians."

"We didn't know we were borrowin' somebody as important as a family guardian," Goofy said. He managed to make it come out as an apology. Ever the sweetheart.

Mushu pointed a finger up at us. Or, rather he pointed a claw. "Yeah, that's right! And that puts you three up to your eyeballs in debt to Ping here," he said. Did he say something about debt? "Well, guess what, kiddies? It's payback time!"

Ping shot him a look. "Mushu . . ."

"Ah, they don't mind." The dragon waved her off. "Ain't that right?"

Sora's fingers drummed along his jawline. His eyes wandered up to the sky to make it seem like he was thinking the situation over. "Hmm, sounds fair," he agreed.

"See, Ping here was just on his way to join the Imperial army. We gotta go find the other recruits over at the training camp."

Ping nodded her head. "Would you come with us? It'll be easier to fit in if I'm with guys like you."

"What do you mean "fit in?" Sora asked.

"Well, um, uh, don't—don't worry about that," Mushu stuttered.

None of this was making any sense. Why would this woman need to fit in with men? "Why do you need to fit in with guys?" I asked. "It'll be kind of hard for a girl to do, don't you think?"

Sora and Donald's gazes bounced from me, then to Ping, then back at me for about a full minute. Then, their eyes went wide. "What?!" they exclaimed in unison. I resisted the urge to slap myself on the forhead, opting to sigh instead. How could they not have noticed? "You're a . . . girl?!"

Ping's cheeks turned into a rosy colour, her eyelashes fluttering as she swayed side to side, maximizing her femininine attributes. "You didn't notice?" she squeaked. Sora and Donald looked horrifed while they shook their heads. "Mushu, I think it's working."

Mushu stared at the two before shaking his head. "I don't know . . . Those two will fall for anything."

"I'm right here!" Sora shot the tiny dragon a glare. When his eyes trailed over to me, I almost jumped. "How did you know, Sasuke? It's impossible to tell."

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's easy for a woman to spot another woman, I guess," I mused. "So, why are you pretending to be a man, again?"

"I need to get into the Imperial army," Ping explained. "They only allow men. I'm pretending to be the opposite gender so they'll let me in."

Donald nodded. "So we're going to the army with you. An army that only allows guys . . ." he repeated. Ping nodded, causing the duck to jab a finger in my direction. "Well, what do we do with this one, then?"

My eyes narrowed at the way that he referred to be, but he did have a point. If I was going to be tagging along, how was I going to get by as a girl? Ping was pretending to be a boy and she was barely scrapping by. I didn't have any sort of costume, so how was I supposed to do it? Ping and Mushu exchanged looks, clearly thinking the same thing. That was, until Sora broke the silence.

"Take your clothes off."

I turned my head to stare at him in shock. My face was heating up, and my jaw went slack. Did he just tell me to get naked? "W-w-w-what?" I stuttered stupidly.

Sora ignored my red face, digging into the pocket of his shorts. "I said to take your clothes off," he repeated. Okay, so I had heard him right. He wanted me to get naked, and I couldn't think of a way this would help our situation. He pulled out a glowing orb of magic, and cleared up, "The fairies gave us these magic orbs with our old clothes in it. You still look small enough to fit into my old clothes. You can just wear that."

"Good idea, Sora!" Goofy cheered.

Donald rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but how are we going to fit those in there without it being obvious?" He pointed to my chest, causing my face to heat up even more. I shot the duck a glare, my arms shooting up to cover where he was gesturing. Why was everyone putting me on the spot? "Sorry to tell ya, Sasuke, but you don't exactly have fourteen-year-old Sora's bird chest."

"That's an easy fix," Ping said with a smile. "We bind her chest."

My eyebrows shot up. That sounded painful. "We do what?'

She reached over to the rock where she and Mushu were previously seated at, picking up a roll of gauze. It made my stomach turn. "All we have to do is wrap this around your chest," she explained. "It'll help flatten everything out. It may not be the most comfortable thing, but you'll only have to wear it for a few hours. It worked for me, so you should be fine."

"Oh, God . . ." I mumbled. Sora used the orb of magic to summon his old clothes. Once the red and blue articles of clothing were in his hands, he handed them to me. Was I really going to do this? Did I really want to pretend to be a boy. I hesitantly took them from him. "Well . . . where do I get dressed?"

"Right here."

I shot Ping a face. "What? In front of them?"

"Of course not," she said. Looking over to Mushu, Sora, Donald, and Goofy, she wiggled her finger around. "Turn around so she can change. The faster, the better."

The four boys stood in a line before facing the other direction. Once she was sure that they couldn't see, Ping turned around, too. Sighing, I began to strip out of my new clothes. I was changing out in the open. What if someone else comes along and sees me? What if one of the boys turns around. Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I slipped on Sora's red shorts. They stopped a bit below my knee, and I had to secure his blue belt around my waist to make sure they wouldn't fall off.

I stared at the gauze Ping had left me. "Um, how do I use the gauze?" The deep blush covering my face was uncomfortable. Almost as uncomfortable as the fact that I was talking about my chest in front of Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Especially Sora, whom—despite the many years that we have known each other—I had never talked about this sort of thing with.

"Start at your armpits and wrap them around your torso, making your way down."

Nodding, I did as Ping instructed. It was a slight sting, but I managed to do it. The gauze made my chest flat, but there was still a slight bump to it. Luckily, Sora's top was baggy, so it covered it up. When his jacket was on, I cleared my throat. "Okay, you guys can turn around."

Donald was the first to turn around, staring at the pile of jewelry and clothes I had shedded off and left on the ground. "That was fast," he said. His black eyes wandered up to me before his breath hitched. "It worked . . . They're gone. But, there's still a few problems. Her hair is kind of long for a guy."

Ping dug into her pockets and retrieved a blue ribbon. "We can put it up in a bun." Getting my permission, she worked her fingers through my hair and put it up in a bun similar to hers. "There. Not bad."

I dug my hands into my pockets while Sora sent me a smile. "You look good," he complimented.

"You're only saying that because this is your outfit," I teased.

"Yeah . . . maybe."

It was then when it really hit me. I was in Sora's clothes. Sora. His clothes. They even smelled like him, the scent of salt water and ocean breeze intertwined within the fabric. He smelled like the islands. He smelled like home. I glanced up from where I was wrapped up in the scent to see that he was staring at me. He quickly looked away, though, finding the bamboo shoots surrounding us interesting all of the sudden. I looked at the ground. Wearing his clothes wasn't that bad.

"Now what are we going to do about shoes?"

The sound of Mushu's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. Right now, my feet were barefoot. Sora scratched the back of his head, chuckling sheepishly. He didn't change one bit. "Well, I might have ditched the shoes somewhere else because they were too small," he murmured. "My bad . . ."

Donald frowned. "Well, what are we going to do? She can't wear her own shoes because they're girly-boot-things."

"We can get her a pair of shoes at the army," Mushu suggested. We nodded. "She isn't the manliest man out there, but, if those guys are anything like Sora and Donald, they'll be fooled enough for us to get away with it."

Sora glared at the dragon. "Hey!"

* * *

 **WE ARRIVED AT** the Imperial army after the boys went over a few finishing touches to my look. They hid my necklace beneath my shirt, wiped off the lip gloss the fairies had applied, and adjusted my clothes to make it look like a male had thrown it on. This included loosening up the belt. I had tried to tell them that I needed it, but they didn't listen, saying that men don't wear fastened belts. Thankfully, my waist was more shapely than Sora's, and kept the shorts from falling to my ankles.

The army was nothing more than a camp site. An endless amount of white and red tints littered the area. That was it. Other than that, the area was empty. It made sense if the army was trying to stay incogneto. If not, then it was kind of a shame.

I walked in beside Ping. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were far ahead, glancing around the area with fascination. No one was around. We were the only ones walking around, which made me even more nervous. What if I couldn't pass off as a fourteen-year-old Sora? Hell, what if I couldn't just pass off as a very feminine guy?

Mushu peeked out from his spot hidden on Ping's shoulder. "Remember, ladies—manly!"

Ping and I nodded. Manly. We had to be manly. We puffed out our chests and gave our best macho walk, flexing our huge (nonexistent) biceps. Our eyebrows scrunched up in attempt to make our faces look more chisled. Hopefully, it was working rather than making us look stupid.

As we walked further into the camp ground, I could just about make out a few people standing around. They were all wearing armour similar to Ping's. Most importantly, they looked to be gathered in a line. Were we supposed to go over there? Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked over there, confirming my thoughts. Though, just when they were about to stand in the line of warriors, Sora was shoved out of the way.

The man that pushed him couldn't have been more than three feet tall. His black beard went from his mustache all the way up to where his hair was pulled into a bun similar to ours. Only, he looked a lot meaner than we did. "'Bout time we get some grub," he mused. His voice sounded mean much like his appearance looked.

Sora didn't care about his looks. He clenched his fist, glaring down at the small man with narrowed eyes. "Hey, no cutting," he snapped. I almost flinched by how pissed off he sounded. Perhaps it was because his voice was murdered by puberty. Either way, it definitely didn't sound like something one should mess with. "Get out!"

I stepped forward to step between them. To tell the two that this was nothing to fight about. This is, until the small man turned around, and gave Sora a clean punch to the jaw. The teenager stumbled backwards from the impact. Did . . . he just punch Sora in the face? My mouth went slack, a strange noise surfacing from the back of my throat.

He just punched Sora.

I charged at the guy, going straight for the face since it was the only part of him that was not guarded off. The first punch connected with his cheek. There, that should teach him a lesson.

"Back off, runt!" The man growled out. His rough hands went for my hair, swinging me around like a rag doll from the dark strands. How did I get myself into this? "You shoud learn how to mind your own business!"

"Let me go!" Being dragged by my hair hurt a lot more than I thought it would.

"I should kick your little ass, kid!"

There was no time for me to react. The man suddenly let go of his hold on me. My hair—now pulled out of its bun—fell around me in messy clumps. I stumbled out of the way, only to find the man in a full blown brawl . . . with Sora. Punch after punch, we watched in shock as the two continued to hammer away at each other. But, their fight was cut short by two other guys pushing them out of the way.

"Hey, a space in line!" The lanky warrior exclaimed. Where had these guys come from? He was patting the armour over his stomach like he hadn't eaten in days.

The warrior beside him, an eight foot tall bald man—nodded in agreement. "I wonder what they're serving for lunch today."

"Knuckle sandwiches!"

The short warrior ditched Sora and launched at the lanky warrior. Sora and Donald jumped into the fight, too. The four of them were growling bloody murder as they stood in a circle throwing punches at each other. The large warrior, however, looked very confused with the situation.

When the short warrior made a break to snatch me into the fight, Sora pulled him back and punched him in the nose. I winced. That had to hurt. How could boys fight each other like this for no reason? Half of the people fighting haven't even spoken to the others.

Ping frowned, obviously getting upset with the fighting boys. "Please, stop fighting!" she pleaded. Her voice was that of a woman. It was so girly that it made the boys stop.

There was so many bruises. I noticed the purple dotting along Sora's jaw and cheeks. His bottom lip was busted, too, specks of blood trickling down the swollen flesh. Donald was fine other than the fact that a feather or two had been yanked out. The lanky one had a few cuts and scraps scattered along his face. The short warrior had it the worst, though. Blood streamed down his nose from where Sora had clocked him one. His lip was busted in two places, making me realize that I should be thankful that I stayed out of it this time.

Lanky scrunched his nose at Ping. " _Please?_ " he repeated as if the word was dripped in acid.

Shorty wiped some of the blood off of his face with the back of his hand. "What a girl."

"Uh . . . knock it off!" Ping made sure to correct her voice this time. But, I was sure that the damage had already been done. Reaching my hands up to redo my bun, I watched as she gave them her most masculine expression.

"Knock what off?" Short shrugged.

Sora shot him a look of disbelief. "Really?" he hissed. "You punched me and bust my lip!"

"Cutting in line!" Donald added.

"I think you broke my nose!" Shorty argued back. The looks he was giving Sora was pure nastiness.

Lanky rolled his eyes. He didn't seem the least bit phased by his beat up face. "What a shrimp . . ."

"Who you callin' a shrimp, panda lips? I'm a bona fide guardian dragon!"

My gaze shot up to Ping's shoulder. She was struggling to keep Mushu hidden. Not that him shouting out insults was helping. Was this all that boys did? They they just fight and argue all day? "L-Let's just get back in line, okay?" Ping suggested.

Sora narrowed his eyes at her. "Whose side are you on? I just got slugged!"

Shorty attempted to square the brunet up, but it wasn't doing much since he was an entire two or three feet taller than him. "Want some more?" he teased. "I should break your nose, too!"

Sora got his fists ready to attack. Those things were lethal, I realized, and it made me take a step back. No way was I going to get caught up in the next fight. "I didn't even break your nose," Sora snapped. "But since you keep saying I did, maybe I _should_ this time -"

"Soldiers! Get back in line!"

Their argument was cut short by a stern voice. We watched as a tall man in fancier armour approached us. Judging by how solid his arms looked, he was the only one here who could break up this fight. And he did, his mere appearance making everyone stand straight in line. Donald let out a huff when he noticed that Shorty, Lanky, and Baldy were in front of him, but didn't do anything. None of us did. Not while this guy was here.

I stared at the back of Goofy's head in line while the man walked around us to make sure that we weren't up to anymore trouble. Though, there was something in the corner of my eye. Turning my head, the image of spawning Heartless broke my concentration. Right now? They were going to attack right now? Donald summoned his staff. He had seen them as well. It was only a matter of seconds until Sora, Goofy, and I summoned our weapons.

Ping watched the creatures in shock. A part of her looked almost scared even. "What are those?" she asked.

Goofy's hand tightened around his shield. "Heartless!"

Donald ran in first, bonking several of them on the head. It was surprisingly effective. The Heartless that he attacked disappeared into a black mist. I charged in, too, going for the ones that were in the back. Goofy was right at my heels, clobbering the ones who decided to get in his way. The fight must have given the boys an adrenaline boost because they were fighting a lot rougher than usual. There was zero strategy. Only 'lock on target and destroy.'

Ping pulled out her sword from her belt. She didn't seem to mind that her weapon wasn't doing too much damage to them. As long as she was helping. And helping she was, announcing that there was a Heartless behind me when it got too close. I turned around, shoving my Keyblade right between its eyes.

When they were taken care of, Sora spit onto the ground. It was gross. However, I was paying attention to the fact that his spit was red. Blood. Was he okay? I wanted to ask if he was all right, if he needed anything, but it would look weird seeing as how I was supposed to be playing the role of a boy. I'll just have to ask him later.

"You four." We turned around to see that the tall man who had broken up the fight was staring at us. Did we do something wrong? His onyx eyebrows pulled low in a serious manner. "What are your names?"

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat before they spoke, "Sora."

"Donald."

"Sasuke, sir." It was a good thing my real name was masculine.

"Goofy."

The man nodded his head. His head that a neat bun was stationed on top of. Maybe it was customary for the males around here to wear this hairstyle. "You're welcome into my troop," he said. "Your battle skills are encouraging."

Ping raised a finger. "I am the son of Fa Zhou -"

"You should return home." The man cut her off before she could finish. My breath hitched. What? Had she already been discovered?

She frowned. "B-but . . . That would dishonour my family!"

"You'd rather dishonour my troops?"

"Don't make me -"

This time, it was Sora who cut her off. He took a step forward to get the man's attention. "If Ping trains hard and does his best, he'll get stronger in no time," he pointed out. Here he goes again. He was always thinking about the sake of others. Even after he had just gotten his face brusied and his lip busted. I crossed my arms over my now-flat chest; I hope he never changes. "Just give us an assignment! We'll show you how well we can work together."

The man looked as if he was thinking everything over. "So . . . you want to be tested?" he asked. Sora nodded instantly. "Our orders are to ambush Shan-Yu's army on their way here. They should be coming through the mountain pass."

"We'll smash them!" Donald screamed.

The man shook his head. "I doubt that. You five will be the advance party," he explained. It sounded a lot better than the plan that Donald had. "Scout the mountain for my troops."

A smirk snuck onto Sora's face as he crossed his arms behind his head. "That's it?" he teased with a smile. Though I knew it was strange, I found myself inspecting his mouth for any signs of injury. There was none. All of his pearly whites were still in place. "No problem. Right?"

He looked over at Ping, who slowly nodded. "R-right."

"I'll brief you on the details later," the man said. "Return when you're ready to depart. Remember, the smallest mission may have the greatest purpose. Stay alert."

"Sir!" we all shouted in unison.

With that, we were dismissed. We wandered back over to the line to get lunch. The boys must have been hungry judging by how their eyes lit up when they seen the rice they were handing out. I got in line behind Sora with Ping right behind me. Once everyone was settled and minding their own business, I tapped his shoulder.

He turned his head a bit. Not enough to look at me, but enough to let me know that he was listening. "Hmm?" he hummed.

"Nice thinking there," I whispered. "We go on an assignment and cover Ping. Should be pretty easy."

He nodded and face forward again. "Exactly. We just have to make sure that we're careful."

I found myself staring at the space between his shoulder blades. "Speaking of careful . . . Hey, Sora . . ." At the sound of me saying his name, he turned around. He had to tilt his head to look down at me. His lip looked worse up close. A small section of the flesh was torn apart. Purple and blue veins surrounded the area around the cut. It was out of them that the blood had poured out of. Without meaning to, I flinched at the sight. "God . . ."

"Are you okay?" he asked. I looked up at him in confusion. He was the one who was hurt. Why was he asking me if I was okay? Seeing my confusion, he added, "That guy pulled you hair and tried to hit you. Are you okay?"

I blinked. "What? Sora, I'm fine. You're the one who got hit in the face five times. Are _you_ okay?"

"Yeah, I'm all right," he reassured. The fact that his bottom lip was almost twice its size wasn't very convincing.

"Why'd you start fighting like that?"

"Hmm?"

"You heard me." I chuckled at his attempting of being innocent. "That's not like you. You usually don't break noses. I was kind of nervous."

He sheepishly scratched his head, moving forward in the line. "Really?" he mumbled. "I was just really angry."

"Because he hit you?"

"Because he tried to hit _you_."

He got in that huge fight . . . because of me? It was normal for Sora to stand up for me seeing as how we've known each other for so long, but he's never beat people up for me. Hell, Sora was more of a lover than a fighter. I could feel my face heating up at the thought of him getting upset because someone tried to hurt me. He was protecting me?

It was still hard to wrap my head around it. Maybe I was looking into it too much.

"Hey, lover boy!" We turned around, watching with wide eyes as Mushu shot us looks. "Save the flirting for later! I'm tryin' to get some rice!"

Sora glared at the creature. "I wasn't flirting!" he defended. I couldn't help but notice that the tips of his ears were turning read. It made me chuckle, not that it was helping anything.

"Yeah, and I'm not a dragon." Mushu rolled his eyes.

"Well, to be fair, I did think you were a lizard."

"Shut up, Sasuke!"

* * *

 **Hello, everyone! I'm not dead! I'm alive! Unfortunately, right after my birthday (which was on February 3rd) my laptop's screen broke and I had to get it replaced. It took me a while to save up the money for it, but now it's back on! It's a good thing, too, because I was starting to go crazy from not updating my stories. To make it up to you, here's the longest chapter in this story yet!**

 **Also, you get some Sasuke x Sora in this chapter. That should make up for my absence, right?**

 **P.S. Someone PMed me asking how to pronounce Sasuke's name and the reason why I picked it. Each one of the gang from Destiny Islands has a theme for their name, so Sasuke does, too. It's just not far enough in the story for me to explain it to you yet. But, for now, her name is pronounced Sss-ah-sss-ooo-kay :)**

 **Sorry for the wait!**

 **~ Insane**


	12. Avalanche

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN: AVALANCHE**

 **SASUKE**

 **"You can run with a lie, but you can't hide from the truth. It will catch up with you."  
\- Unknown**

* * *

 **I STUMBLED BACK** after being scratched by one of the many Heartless surrounding the area. Its claws left red marks on my arm where it had dragged along the surface. It was a good thing that the attack was not deep. One of us were already injured. We didn't need another person bleeding.

After the boys wolfed down two bowls of rice, especially Sora and Mushu who had managed to eat three, the Captain sent us to our mission in the mountain pass. That was after he had given me a pair of shoes. He believed it when I told him that my old shoes had destroyed by a monster, when the truth was that they were in a magical orb in my pocket. The shoes that he gave me were similar to Ping's. Dark, flexible, and comfortable.

He had patched up Sora and Shorty as well. Shorty's nose turned out to be cracked, not broken. It was a good thing; it would keep Sora from feeling guilty about hitting him later. The teenager's lip was clean and bandaged up. His mouth no longer had dried up blood around it. The swelling had actually went down a bit due to him icing it for over an hour.

He said that Donald, Sora, Goofy, Ping, and I had to go up to the mountain to watch out for his soldiers below. It was an easy job. If any of the army's enemies appeared we were to alert the Captain. Simple. Though, as soon as we broke off from the main group to go up the mountain side, we were ambushed by a swarm of Heartless.

Donald used his magic to create a cloud of thunder. It took out the monster that scratched up my arm. It was the last one, the other creatures being defeated by the rest of the group. Ping let out a subtle breath before placing her sword back into its sheath. Now that they were out of the way, we could move on to our next problem.

There were rocks blocking the path leading further up the mountain. They were pretty big—to big to be pushed out of the way by only one of us. It was going to have to be a team effort. We stepped forward and placed our hands on the rock, giving it a collective shove. Even Mushu was trying to help out. With a round of grunts, the rocks rolled out of the way. I took a few steps back and brushed my hands off against each other. That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Our little moment of victory was short-lived, however. The sound of footsteps rang throughout the passageway . . . more than one pair of footsteps. My head whipped around, expecting to see the Captain. He was most likely going to give us more warnings about the enemies. But, it was't the captain. Shorty, Lanky, and Baldy stood in front of us with puffed out chests. Their faces were purple in some areas to reveal that they indeed took a beating in that brawl earlier. Mostly Shorty, who had tissues shoved up his nose and a bandaged lip. "Hey, you ain't half bad." He glanced in Sora's direction with a nod. Was he complimenting him? After he just busted his lip?

Well, to be honest, Sora did crack his nose, so he technically did worse to Shorty . . .

Nonetheless, Lanky nodded his head in agreement. "A man among men!" he added. He offered the rest of us genuine smiles. It was then did I see that one of his teeth were chipped. I wanted to wince. Jeez, how angry _was_ Sora in that fight?

"Thanks." Ping pounded her chest to show that she appreciated their words. Her voice was that same deep and strained tone that she had been trying to pass off. It was surprising that no one had figured her out. It was surprising that no one figured _me_ out. Not even the Captain noticed the difference. Shorty, Lanky, and Baldy nodded one last time, then continued on their way to go find their group. All traces of happiness left Ping's face once they left. She sighed, looking at the ground, mumbling, "But the Captain . . ."

Sora crossed his arms over his chest. "Speaking of which . . ."

We looked up to see the Captain walking over to us, his guards in tow. The red cape he was wearing flowed in the mountain breeze behind him. His bushy eyebrows were pulled low into a scowl. He walked with his fists clenched, I noticed, which only added to his long list of superior attributes. This guy had the demeanor of a man in charge. It didn't take a genius to figure that out.

Goofy waved at the man when he got close enough. "Ping sure did great!" he boasted.

He was trying to make Ping look good in front of him. Catching on, I added, "Of course he did. He even helped me out on the battle field."

"Fine . . ." The Captain's soot black eyes trailed up to look at the clouds above. Letting out a breath, he looked back over at us with a slightly more . . . focused expression. He didn't believe us. I could tell in the way he hesitated his next words. "You can join my troops. But I'm still not convinced you have what it takes to be a worthy soldier."

Sora's eyebrows—once a rich chocolaty colour last year, but now a golden brown—furrowed. "Why not?!" he protested.

Ping shook her head. "It's all right, Sora. I'll find a way to show him what I'm made of. Just give me a chance."

"That's the spirit, Ping." The Captain offered the girl a smile. It wasn't a pretty one. It was a forced one. It was as if he was set on not believing in her. What was this guy's problem? With a nod, he walked off with his guards. He didn't say any words of encouragement. Not even directions were exchanged. He just . . . left us there. It made me wonder if he was just picking on Ping, or if he was really an aloof person.

Almost as soon as he left, Lanky, Shorty, and Baldy came creeping from behind a few rocks. I scrunched up my nose; they were eavesdropping on our conversation. It was apparent in the way that Lanky was smirking at us. "Good going, Ping!" he complimented. Whether it was a real one or false, I could not tell.

We continued up the mountain side. There were no more Heartless, only creepy sounds every once and a while. I made sure to stay beside Goofy when I walked. If something were to ever happen, he would have my back in a heartbeat. I supposed that was what I loved most about the dog. He was selfless, sweet, and adorable. What was not to love?

I crossed my behind my head and let out a sigh. This was a huge mountain. "Wonder how much longer it is . . ." I was talking to myself more than to anyone else. But, that didn't stop them from looking over at me. My eyebrows raised at them in confusion. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

"As soon as we finish this place, we're getting you out of Sora's clothes," Donald said. He was eyeing me as if he was afraid of what I would do. Why did I have to get out of his clothes? I kind of liked being in them. "You're starting to act like him. Crossing your arms behind your head . . . Yawning . . . Being lazy . . . The only thing you're missing is the spiky hair."

I wanted to snort. "Well, it's not my fault. I kind of like his clothes. It's so loose fitting and soft. It makes you just want to lay down and take a nap."

"Finally. Someone gets it." Sora flashed me a smile which I returned. It was then when we noticed the camp in the distance. The Captain and the other soldiers were marching over to it. So we were changing locations? "I see them over there! Let's go!"

We ran up the mountain side to meet with the group. It was a good thing that no enemies had been spotted on the way up here. Though, just as we walked into the camp, Mushu decided that he wanted to make himself known. He poked his head out of Ping's armour with a hiss. Luckily, the soldiers were already inside of the camp. He wouldn't be spotted on her shoulder.

Mushu looked up at Ping. His face was dipped in determination. "Okay, girl! Here's your chance!" he encouraged. We glanced over at the dragon. What was he talking about now? "I just saw this real shady guy. And I know it's Shan-Yu, the guy the army is after."

What? As if we all were thinking the same thing, everyone was suddenly on guard. The enemy was here? Right now? My eyes roamed over the area. Tints similar to the ones at the bottom of the mountain were set up. Snow littered the ground like a thick blanket; the sun above was no help in melting it. There were a few soldiers walking here and there. Other than that, I didn't see any signs of someone who looked shady.

Ping's brows pulled low on her beautiful face. "Shan-Yu?" she squeaked out. She made no move to correct her girly tone. "That's the Hun leader! We've got to tell the Captain!"

"Waaaait wait-wait-wait WAIT!" Mushu started yelling before Ping could run away. He waved his claws around to tell her to stop. "Everybody use their heads for a sec! Now, why are we here? To make the Captain see Mulan's—I mean, Ping's talents and bring honour to her family. So, let's go find out where Shan-Yu is, by ourselves. Then, if we're lucky, we can fry him up good! Though just tracking the guy down should earn us our stars . . . Captain Musclehead will have to notice my girl!"

Three things occurred to me at that moment. One, Ping's real name was more than likely Mulan. Two, there was a possibility that Mushu could breath fire. And three, this was the dumbest idea I've ever heard in my life. Not only was it stupid, it was dangerous. If we did find this Shan-Yu guy, there was a chance that he could be stronger than us. What if we ended up getting everyone hurt? I opened my mouth to shoot down the idea, but was cut off by Ping speaking.

"Okay. Let's go."

"Are you kidding me?" I mumbled. Thankfully, no one heard it.

Sora nodded. "We'll help out."

Mushu grinned wider, throwing a fist into the air. "Now we're cookin'!" he shouted. We placed a finger over our lips to warn him to be quiet. It didn't help in the slightest. "Shan-Yu is in a cave outside the village!"

He pointed to a snowy passageway leading up the mountain. We were going to have to walk through more snow. Ping was the first to head out. She walked alone the path without a word, us following quickly behind her. If everyone wanted to go through with the plan, I had no choice. It was five against one. Sucking it up, I marched through the snow beside Goofy. Hopefully this turns out better than it does in my head.

Mushu led us to a cave that started right where the path ended. The camp was a long ways from where we were. Not that anyone cared. Ping pushed into the cave like a woman on a mission. I followed behind like the unsure tag-along. This couldn't be that bad. Maybe I was just being negative. What if Mushu was right and this does end up making Ping's family proud of her. Though I didn't really understand why they wouldn't be proud of her in the first place. Parents were supposed to be proud of their children . . . or at least, that's what I've heard.

The inside of the cave was cold and dark. The rock walls were a solid gray; it made the cave darker despite the candles spread out around the place. There were lit candles. If there were candles, that meant that someone was here. Someone was here, but now, they were long gone. Nothing but silence and darkness filled the cave. That, and the eerie flicker of the candle flames.

I wrapped my arms around myself when a draft began to pick up. Sora's old short-sleeved jacket wasn't doing very much to keep the cold out. His shorts weren't either; goosebumps were covering my skin from the lack of protection. "It's a dead end," I murmured. Pointing out the obvious. It seemed a little stupid to do so, but it was them who were searching the cave as if there were something in it.

"There's nobody here." Donald was agreeing with me.

Mushu glanced around the room. It was like he could see something that we couldn't. "You're crazy!" he said. "Check again."

The duck rolled his eyes. Turning around, he made his way to the exit of the cave. I was right behind him, finding no interest in the empty cave whatsoever. Noticing that we were leaving, Goofy ran after us, screaming, "Wait for me, guys!"

The three of us walked out of the cave despite Sora's protests for us to stay there with them. There was no point in searching an empty cave for something that wasn't there. Not a point that I could think of. The snow crunched under my shoes when we made it outside. Snow was beginning to fall from the sky, covering the ground in a new layer of the frost. I glanced up at the sky to watch the snowflakes fall around. One landed on my nose and, in that exact second, I felt the ground shake. An earthquake. My head whipped around to see that Sora, Ping, and Mushu were still standing in the cave—the snowflake falling off my nose and landing on the ground. I ran to the entrance of the cave to get to them, but there was something keeping me back. It was a force field of some sorts keeping us out. What the hell?

"Sora!" I shouted once the earthquake stopped. He looked over at me, his bright eyes clouded in confusion. Ping looked frightened standing next to him. "What's going on? Why can't I get through?"

He was about to run over to us, but the image of Heartless spawning in the cave made him freeze. His eyes went wide, watching as the creatures doubled in amount. Why were there so many of them? "Damn," he breathed out. There was a light cloud of mist that came from his bruised lips when he spoke. "It was a trap this whole time."

Donald and Goofy made their way over when the Heartless began closing in on the brunet. "Well, what do we do?" the duck asked.

There was a flash of light. When it subsided, the Kingdom Key was left in Sora's hands. He got into a fighting stance, his attention no longer on us. "Just stay there! We'll handle these guys!"

He was right about this one. There was nothing that we could do to help them. The force field was keeping us from walking into the cave. If only we had stayed inside of there. If we had stayed, we could be helping them fight right now. Instead, Ping pulled out her sword, and charged at the Heartless. Sora was right behind her, slashing away at anything that attempted to be a threat.

Donald tried to make a thunder spell go past the force field. A gray cloud appeared over our heads before bolts of thunder rained down on us. With the first crackle of lightning, I was already running away for cover. Donald screamed and tried to dodge the thunder as well. Goofy pulled out his shield, putting it over his head to protect him. With another screech, the cloud faded away, and I came out of my hiding spot, glaring at Donald.

He chuckled nervously. "Sorry," he quacked. "Just trying to help . . ."

Sighing in relief, Goofy put his shield down. So much for trying to help. I made my way over to the force field to see if the two were all right in there. Sora was finishing off the last of the Heartless. He let out a heavy sigh when the last one disappeared. There was another flash of light, then his Keyblade was gone . . . and so was the force field.

He looked over at Ping, whom was putting away her sword. He gripped onto his shoulder before winding the appendage around to work out any kinks. "Nice fighting, Ping!" He flashed the girl a toothy grin, making her twiddle her fingers. "You were amazing."

Donald was the first to run in. Goofy and I walked in next, looking around the cave for any signs of a new attack. "You okay?" the duck asked the two.

Sora crossed his arms behind his head. "Yeah, thanks to Ping."

Mushu stuck his head out of his spot in Ping's armour. He looked a bit shaken up. Judging by the way he was glaring around the cave, he didn't look to happy about the way his plan ended. Nonetheless, he still had something to contribute. "C'mon! Time to report to the Captain!"

"But Shan-Yu wasn't here," Ping pointed out.

"Please! That Hun is old news! We're gonna tell the Captain how thousands of Heartless stormed the cave, and Ping took out almost every one of 'em!"

We decided to listen to the dragon again, going back to talk to the Captain. Our feet slugged through the amounts of snow as we walked through the passage. The air was beginning to blow the chill around. Goosebumps were rising further on my pale skin. Though, that wasn't what I was concerned about the most. I was worried about what the Captain was going to think when we told him. That guy looked unpredictable. Who's to tell if he gets happy or upset about our news? What if he gets annoyed?

But, that transformed into such a small problem. The scene in front of us was a lot worse.

The once peaceful camp was burned down to the ground. The tints were nothing left but ashes and black, burned pieces of wood. Embers floated around in the air and combined with the white snowflakes. Our bodies went stiff; eyes going wide. The air no longer smelled of fresh snow, but of a lingering fire. There was nothing left of the place. Not even the soldiers were around. What could have happened in the short amount of time that we were gone? How could this have happened?

Sora's reaction had to be the worst. His clouded gaze slid over the area in search of something . . . anything that could help figure out what caused it. His shoulders slumped, the light fled from his blue irises, and his lips parted. He looked defeated, and, in that moment, I knew that he was unable to find anything left.

Ping stepped farther into the remains of the now-black camp. Her eyes were locked on an image a few feet away. I took a step closer, noticing that it was the Captain. He was leaning against a burned up wall. His head was down, his hand gripping at a wound in his side. Blood was leaking out of it, staining his armour red. "Captain!" she called out. We ran over to the man, watching in shock as he slowly climbed to his feet.

"Don't overdo it, Captain," Sora commanded. His voice was a bit shaky. It was clear to see that he was the most nervous out of all of us. "You're injured . . ."

The Captain shook his head at the teenager. "I-It's . . . just a scratch . . ." he mumbled. He almost fell over in the process of trying to look all right. The brunet took a step forward to catch the man if he fell. Luckily, he didn't, steadying himself against the wall.

Ping looked up at him. "Captain, the enemy! Where did they go?"

"They went toward . . . the summit."

Ping nodded. "We'll stop them!"

Goofy sucked in a sharp breath. His gloved-hand reached up to scratch his floppy ears. He usually did that when he felt guilty for something. "It kind of is our fault," he said.

"You mean it's _my fault_." We glanced over at Mushu, whom had a saddened expression on his face. It was the first time that I had seen him not acting confident. It was almost unsettling.

Sora shook his head at both of them. "No way! Shan-Yu and the Heartless did this, not us." He looked over at the Captain. All traces of nervousness that was once on his face had been replaced by serious. That only meant one thing. Sora was ready for battle. "Captain, if you make sure that everyone is all right, we'll handle this." He glanced around the piles of ashes one more time before glaring at the direction the enemies went. "Ping, Sasuke, Donald, Goofy . . . Let's go."

* * *

 **THE MOUNTAIN WAS** steep. The fact that it was covered with a foot of snow didn't make things any easier. Even during the winter months, Destiny Islands never snowed. It remained a tropical paradise throughout the many seasons that passed by. That was probably the reason why the snow was freaking me out so much. That, and because the mountains had so many open areas.

We stood in a clearing surrounded by whiteness. If Shan-Yu and the Heartless had came this way, they were long gone. There was nothing but the sound of our breathing flowing throughout the area. Most of the mountains were like this—empty and quiet. It took some getting used to. Though, I wasn't sure that I could. Things were hardly ever quiet unless something was going to happen. The stillness put me on edge even why I know that it shouldn't.

Sora took a step forward. His toned arms were littered with goosebumps threatening to send shivers down his spine. I wasn't the only one that was cold. It was apparent in the way his breath fogged around him every time a breath blew past his lips. His hair was covered in snow; the white frosts stuck to his long eyelashes like glue. The sun gave me a clear view of the golden undertones weaved into his hair. He was never a blond. Yet, his hair seemed to be slowly shifting to the yellowy colour. Who in his family was blond? Realizing that I was staring, I looked elsewhere.

My eyes focused on the sky above. Snowflakes fell onto my face—it felt calm for once. A little too calm. That was when a screeched was heard. Flapping his wings, a hawk navigated through the air, toward a higher point on the mountain. I almost let out a sigh of relief. It was just a bird, not a Heartless. We were still safe.

The bird made its way to its destination. My eyes narrowed to double check if my vision was correct. There was a figure in the distance. The hawk landed on the figure's shoulder, both of them looming down at us. I could faintly make out strong arms, tribal clothing, and a sneering face. Was that Shan-Yu?

Confirming my suspicions, a swarm of Heartless floated into view. The man must have had thousands with him. Sora watched them with narrowed eyes, letting out a low growl. It must have been Shan-Yu. Who else would it have been? With a wave of his hand, the figure send the hoard charging toward us. "Attack!" it hollered.

I summoned my Keyblade. It had been a long time since I've fought a big battle like this one. About a year, to be exact. "Split up!" Sora yelled. His Kingdom Key appeared in his hand as he ran into one direction. His battle mode must have activated, I figured, because he wasted no time slicing the creatures left and right.

Donald, Goofy, and Ping split up into different directions, so I stayed where I was. The Heartless attempted to swarm around me. These were the creatures who flew, striking with air attacks. The only way to get to them was to jump in the air and swing. There was a flash of lightning in the distance . . . Or you could use magic. That was another way to do it.

I threw my Keyblade up, striking three of the Heartless. Though, when they disappeared, four more filled their place. After defeating about the twentieth one, I realized that these guys weren't going anywhere. There was just too many. And it looked like I wasn't the only one who had noticed, because Ping was searching for a way to get put of the hoard. Sora threw his Keyblade, taking out six of them while it returned to his hands like a boomerang, and stared at something in the distance. I looked to where he was looking and gasped. Shan-Yu was running straight for us.

"Stand back!"

"We'll handle this!"

I watched in confusion as Shorty, Lanky, and Baldy made their way onto the battle field. What were they doing here? When did they get here? Though I was confused, I couldn't help but to be grateful of what they were hauling along with them. Rockets. They were here to help us. Shorty aimed it at the running Shan-Yu . . . only to be knocked over.

What?

It was Ping who had did it. She shoved him out of the way with her shoulder, taking the rocket for herself. What was she doing? The woman aimed it in a completely different direction. She then grabbed Mushu, stretching the poor dragon to make him breathe fire, lighting the rocket's match. Within seconds, the rocket—and Mushu—was sent flying toward the mountains. "You're aiming the wrong way!" the dragon cried as he disappeared into the distance.

That's when it occurred to me. She had missed Shan-Yu on purpose. The rocket collided with a mountain of snow, creating a rumbling throughout the clearing. She was trying to make an avalanche. My eyes went wide as the snow began to fall down the mountain. This was a disaster. Not only would it take out Shan-Yu and the rest of the Heartless, it would take us out as well. We'll get thrown off the side of the mountain. We'll die.

Sora turned around. His eyebrows filled with snow pulled low on his face. Not even he appeared to understand the situation. "Captain?" he asked.

I turned around to find out what he was talking about. Climbing up the mountain was none other than the Captain. Also on the mountain was over a thousand pounds of snow. "Look out!" Ping screamed as the avalanche slid toward us. The ground was shaking from the force . . . Everyone was running . . . We were going to die. "Run for your lives!"

The snow swallowed up Shan-Yu first. Ping made a break toward the Captain to move him out of the way. I, however, couldn't find the ability to move. It was like my feet were glued to where they were. It was so much snow. It would knock us off of the edge of the mountain. We would fall over a hundred feet to the sharp rocks below. This could be it . . . the final moment. Perhaps it was the thought of death that scared me the most. I wasn't ready to die yet.

"What are you doing?! Move!"

Arms wrapped around my waist and I felt myself being thrown. Then, everything was upside down. The snow glided down the mountain in a fit of destruction. Everything . . . everything was swallowed up by the frosty substance. When it got to the bottom, the snow flew over the edge of the mountain. Anything or anyone who had gotten caught up in it were definitely long gone.

But, it stopped, and I felt myself being put down. I stood up straight, seeing blue eyes staring right back at me. He had thrown me over his shoulder to move me out of the way. "What the hell was that?" he hissed at me. The shakiness in his voice was inevitable despite the brave face he was pulling. We could have died. Even he knew that. "Why didn't you run?"

My hands slowly flaked off the dirt that had stuck to Sora's baggy, red shorts. "I don't know," I admitted.

He must have accepted my answer. Sighing, he looked around the mountain for any survivors. Goofy and Donald were struggling to pull their feet out of the snow. Shorty, Lanky, and Baldy were halfway down the mountain from how far they ran. Ping had managed to pull the Captain to the side. Everyone was okay. There was no soldiers lost in the avalanche.

Captain looked up at the girl who saved his life with a smile. It was a good thing, too. He had no idea what was going on; he could have been killed if it weren't for her. "Ping . . ." he started. He looked almost as shaken up as Sora did. "Thank you."

Ping grinned back at him. "It . . . was nothing."

The two of them stood up. Though they seemed to be off in their own conversation, I couldn't help but to pay attention to it. Sora was beside me shaking the snowflakes out of his hair and clothes. "I should have never doubted you." The Captain brushed off his armour with a quick swipe of his hand. "From now on, you have my trust."

"Thank you, Captain." Ping bowed to show her gratitude.

I crossed my arms over my chest. It was about time. Ping deserved his trust more than anyone judging by how loyal in battle she was. It was good that they were starting to get on good terms. However, that was until something red jumped out of the snow. It was Mushu, marching over to the girl with a scowl. His tiny body was shaking from the cold. How far away had that rocket shot him?

He brushed the snow off of him, pouting the entire time. "First she uses me as a lighter, then she turns me into a canon ball. Then head ancestor's gonna hear about this. You know, that's it. I give up." We watched as he stood in front of Ping. His voice was on the verge of tears, but we all knew that it was for dramatic effect. "I can't take this no more. C'mon, Mulan. Let's quit this charade an go home, girl. You can give your armour to Sasuke. It'll make her look even more like a man—"

My eyes went wide. He just exposed us. Noticing it, too, Ping sent the dragon a glare. "Mushu . . ."

The dragon glanced up to see the Captain staring at him. Two claws slapped over his mouth. He didn't know Captain was standing there. Great. Either way it went, he knew our secret. Not only had Mushu managed to expose Ping, but he exposed me along with her. The Captain stared at the two of us with narrowed eyes. He knew. "Mulan? Sasuke? Women? It can't be . . ." he mumbled. Pointing a finger at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, he snapped, "You all knew, didn't you? You knew Ping and Sasuke were really women in disguise. I can't believe you two lied to me. The punishment for high treason and dishonouring the Army . . . is death."

Ping and I went pale. He was going to kill us? For passing off as men, the penalty was death.

"Get out of my sight . . . now. You're all dismissed."

He was letting us slide. That was good news, but that didn't mean that we were all the way off the hook. Sora frowned when he realized that he couldn't be in the army any longer. "But Captain . . ." he trailed off. The Captain didn't listen. Instead, he walked away, leaving us alone on the mountain. We were kicked out of the army.

"Mulan . . . I blew it," Mushu whined. "But at least you can take all that armour and gauze off now."

He was right. My hands reached up to pull my hair out of its bun. Ping—Mulan—did the same, her black hair falling around her shoulders. The boys took this opportunity to turn around so that we could get changed. I opened the magic orb containing my clothes. Once the articles of clothing were in my hands, I shed off Sora's old garments. The gauze felt the best to take off. My breathing was no longer laboured. When they were gone, I put my clothes on. Mulan did the same, taking her armour and gauze off. It left her in a pair of pants and a top.

Without all of that gear on, she was even more beautiful that before. She shook her hair out before telling the boys that they could turn around. It was parted; part of it falling into her face to make her look more feminine. "Sorry I got you guys in trouble," she said.

Sora shrugged his shoulders as I put his old clothes into the magic orb. He took it from me, putting it in his pocket. "It's okay." He scratched his cheek right next to one of the bruises. "So, Ping—I mean, uh, Mulan . . . what're you gonna do now?"

"Go back home," she answered sadly.

Mushu let out a heavy sigh. "Your daddy's gonna be steamed as a chicken dumpling."

Sora wrapped his arms around us. Donald quacked when we squeezed against his chest. I was smashed against his side, the familiar scent of salt water and island breeze filled my senses. God, he _still_ smelled good. "Relax, we'll take our share of the blame."

Mulan smiled at him. "Thank you," she said. "You're all wonderful friends."

So this was it. We were done. We were no longer going to be allowed in the army to help out Mulan. I slid all of my bracelets onto my arms, then froze once I heard a familiar sound. The sound of a hawk's screeching rang throughout the mountain tops. I walked toward the edge of the mountain in search of any signs of Shan-Yu. At the bottom, right where the snow had fell off the ledge, was Shan-Yu and the Heartless climbing out. "Guys, look," I called out. Sora, Mulan, Donald, and Goofy were at my side in seconds. Their eyes went wide at the sight. "It's Shan-Yu. He's alive."

Mulan pointed to the direction he was headed in. "He's heading for the Imperial city!" she cried. "We've got to warn Shang—I mean, the Captain."

"Shang?" I mumbled. She knew the Captain's first name? I smirked; Mulan knew more than she let on.

* * *

 **WE RAN DOWN** the mountain as fast as we could. Mulan said that Shan-Yu and the Heartless were on the move to the city. If they were heading there, we had to, too. To warn Captain Shang. The woman weaved us through the paths to get us down the mountain. Then, she led us to the front gates of the Imperial city. The city itself was gorgeous. Oriental-style buildings decorated the area along with paper lanterns to keep it lit. Swirls of reds, blues, and purples were scattered throughout. It was clearly the city's main colour scheme. Classic, elegant, and worthy, much like the people who inhabited this world.

That was the least of our worries, though. The Imperial army was marching through the front gates in a single-file line. At the very front was Captain Shang. His eyebrows were pulled low and his shoulders were tense; he was still upset about us lying to him. It was hard to say if he would even trust us. Would he believe our word when we said that Shan-Yu was headed here? Probably not. He believed us once . . . look where that got him.

Mulan ran ahead of us to get to him first. Her previous 'give up' demeanor had been exchanged for a one of action. It made me wonder if she ever got phased at all. All this time that we have known her, she has been nothing but willing. It was a good trait. He had to believe her. "Shang!" she shouted. The man turned around, his black eyes zeroing in on the smaller woman. There were no traces of mercy in his glare. "Shan-Yu is alive! He's headed this way!"

Captain Shang rolled his eyes. I knew it. He didn't believe her anymore. We blew it. "And why should I believe you this time?" he hissed out.

"But . . . she's telling you the truth." It was Sora and I who had spoke this time. Both of the older soldiers turned to look at us. Mulan's gaze held appreciation. Captain Shang's held coldness.

That was, until Donald pointed toward the sky. Flying ahead was Shan-Yu's hawk. It flew passed our heads, and over toward one of the Oriental-styled roof tops. I could just about make out a black figure if I squinted my eyes. A gasp blew passed my lips . . . Shan-Yu. It had to be him. The hawk landed on the figure's shoulder before it jumped off of the building, heading further into the city. We were too late. Shan-Yu was already here.

Captain Shang had noticed it, too. His eyes went wide, no longer ridden with shades of distrust. He pointed a finger to the direction Shan-Yu went in, screaming at his soldiers, "Guard the palace! Do not let the enemy get anywhere near the Emperor!"

Though the situation was more serious than not, I couldn't help but to let out a giggle at the way Shorty, Lanky, and Baldy ran toward the palace. They held their swords high above their heads as they let out high-pitched battle cries, running to where the Captain directed. It was a funny sight. Especially since the Heartless began spawning behind them. Their high-pitched battle cries turned into screams of terror while they ran. I let out a snicker, summoning my Keyblade. Once the spiked, black and silver, metal object was in my hand, I stood my ground.

Sora called upon his Kingdom Key, gripping the blue handle tightly in his hand. "Captain!" he shouted, stepping in front of the man to shield him from the Heartless. Mulan was at his side standing guard, too. She was trying to prove her worth. She was trying to help. "We'll secure the courtyard, and you can save the Emperor!" Seeing the man's hesitation, he added, "That's an order! And take Sasuke with you."

I blinked. "What?"

"You're tiny and sneaky." He shot me one of those big, goofy smiles. I almost sighed. So much for being serious. And did he just call me tiny? "They might need you to get the jump on Shan-Yu. I don't think those screaming soldiers will do too good, ya know."

Well, he did have a point. Nodding, I ran toward the palace right behind Captain Shang. If they were going to stay here to battle the swarm of Heartless, I might as well make myself useful. The two of us ran through the courtyard. Every once and a while, Captain Shang would shoot me a strange glance out of the corner of his eye. It was as if seeing me dressed as a normal girl was too much of a shock for him. Like it was too much for him to take in. We sped up the palace steps. He'll have to get it if he wanted to win this fight.

We froze when we seen that Shan-Yu was holding a sword against the Emperor's neck. The Emperor was a small old man with a graying beard and mustache, those of which were as long as my hair. He didn't seem the least bit scared of Shan-Yu or the sword against his neck.

Captain Shang crouched down to go unnoticed. I did the same, the two of us watching the scene in silence. "Here's the plan," he whispered to me. He was actually talking to me. He finally trusted us again. "I go hide on the left. You go hide on the right. When I give you the signal, jump out on him. When he's distracted, I'll come and take him out while you get the Emperor out of there. You're a brave kid. You can do this, right?" I nodded, and he whispered, "Good. Go!"

As soon as he gave permission to, I sneaked off to the right side of Shan-Yu. I had to grip onto my necklace to keep the chain from clanging around. Captain Shang broke to the left. We stood behind large pillars on each side of them. I pressed my body against the pillar to stay even more hidden. Part one of the plan was a success; Shan-Yu hadn't noticed us. Any second now, we'd commence part two.

Shan-Yu leaned in closer to the Emperor in an attempt to strike fear into him. It didn't work; the Emperor just blinked out of annoyance. Cheeky one, this guy. "Now you'll bow to me," the man snapped at him. However, he stood up straight once he seen the four people standing in front of him.

Mulan, Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood there with their weapons in hand. They had come so quietly. They had crept up without being noticed. Shan-Yu glared at the four—his attention was no longer on the Emperor. Captain Shang took this as a chance to flash me the hand symbol. _Commence part two._ I nodded and ran out from behind the pillar. Donald glanced in my direction, then Shan-Yu turned to see what the duck was looking at, coming face to face with the bottom of my shoe.

He staggered back from the kick as if it had done very little damage. Scrunching his nose up, he charged for me, only to be punched in the face by Captain Shang. I smirked; now this is was I call a plan. It was working. I walked over to the Emperor and grabbed his hand. If I could get him into the palace, the plan would be complete. Without much reluctance, he followed me inside. Shorty, Baldy, and Lanky swung the doors shut behind us. The Emperor was safe. But, now Mulan, Sora, Donald, Captain Shang, and Goofy were stuck outside with Shan-Yu. They were going to have to fight . . . and hopefully they won.

The sounds of fighting from outside rang throughout the inside of the palace. Shorty cleared his throat to break the silence. "So, you're a girl, huh?" he asked me dumbly. "Didn't see that coming."

I shot him a look. "Nice way to start a conversation. You can let me out there to help them. I'm not doing anything in here."

"No way. You're just a girl—"

I took a step closer to the small man. "Do you want me to punch you in the face again?"

He snorted. "You don't scare me."

"You're right. I'll get Sora to kick your face in when he gets back. That'll be so much easier."

That seemed to strike a chord. He paled, his hand shooting up to cover his nose that had a bandage over it. "Wait, wait, wait. There's no reason to do that," he said. I smirked; he had no plans on getting into a fist fight with the brunet. Scrawny little Sora from the islands grew up to be someone who people didn't want to fight. Who would have thought? "It's just that with you here, the Emperor has more guards. The more, the better. More protection for him."

He was right for once. I let out a sigh and crossed my arms over my chest. The Emperor needed me more than my friends did right now. There was a pounding on the door, and we took a step closer to the Emperor. Those guys could handle it for now. Until I was needed, I was going to have to stay here. I tossed my Keyblade somewhere into the palace, and it disappeared with a flash of light mid-air. It wasn't going to be used right now. What was the point in keeping it around?

Lanky shoved Shorty. "Look what you did." He chuckled. Shorty looked up at him in confusion. "You pissed off a woman. That's a guaranteed death wish. She's going to be out for your blood from now on."

"Woman?" Shorty snorted again. "What woman? She looks twelve. There's no woman here."

The Emperor sighed and I felt my left eye twitch. "Twelve?" I hissed at him. Lanky shook his head. Shorty was digging himself in an even bigger hole. "I'm almost sixteen, asshole!"

"Kid!"

"I'm not a kid!"

"Yeah, right! I'm shocked you're not running around with a husband or something!"

"Didn't you just say I was a kid? Why would I have a husband?"

"Because kids are stupid and get married at thirteen nowadays!"

"I'm not married!"

"Do you want to be?"

I shot Lanky a look. Ew. "No thanks . . ."

The Emperor cleared his throat. "Now is not the time for such meaningless topics," he reminded us. I opened my mouth to say something, but was cut off by a polite knocking at the front doors. We exchanged looks. "That must be them."

Baldy and I were the first ones at the door. We pulled them open to reveal a successful Captain Shang, Mulan, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Shan-Yu was unconscious on the ground. Sora waved. "Hiya!" He grinned. I scrunched up my nose at Shorty and made my way over to them. The brunet furrowed his eyebrows at me. "What's wrong?"

I opened my mouth to tell him what happened, but I was cut off again. Shorty jumped up, and said, "Nothing! We secured the Emperor, Captain!"

Said Emperor took a few steps closer to the five. His expression remained stoic, yet it was fixed specifically on Mulan. She still managed to stand tall under his gaze. "I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan," he started. She bowed to show her respects. Should we be bowing, too? "You stole your father's armour, ran away from home, impersonated an Imperial soldier. You deceived your commanding officer, shamed the entire Chinese army and dishonoured your family name."

Jeez, he wasn't going to let up on her. He kept going on about all of the bad things that she did. Glancing up at the darkening sky above, Sora shook his head. "We get it . . ." he mumbled.

That didn't stop the Emperor. "You're a young woman, and in the end . . . you have saved us all." Sora, Mulan, Donald, and Goofy watched with wide eyes as the Emperor bowed to them. Wide smiles spread across they're faces. They did it—they saved everyone. Sora and Donald, in particular, must have felt the most happy because they started cheering. "Captain Li?"

Captain Shang nodded. He bent down to retrieve Shan-Yu's sword before placing it in Mulan's hands. They were letting her keep it?

"Take this, so the world will know what it is you have done for China," the Emperor explained.

Mulan bowed. "Thank you."

"Mulan?" Captain Shang called. We turned to look at him. Was he going to praise her, too. Hopefully. She deserves it. "Sora. Donald. Sasuke. Goofy. Thank you."

We smiled while the Emperor narrowed his eyes at the young man. " _Thank you_? Is that all there is to say, Captain?" he asked. The Captain's eyes trailed anywhere else but the people around him. "If you wish to win the heart of Fa Mulan, China's bravest woman, you'll have to be a bit more eloquent than that!"

Captain's Shang's face turned beet red, causing the Emperor, Mulan, and I to laugh at him. He liked her, huh? Figures. Who wouldn't like Mulan? She was the meaning of heroic, every man will be after her from now on. Plus, the fact that she was the epitome of beauty only added to that. She was going to be okay. And, maybe, that's what made me the happiest.

Sora placed a hand on the older girl's shoulder. "Can I have an autograph?" he teased.

Mulan turned around to give him the most genuine smile possible. It honestly made me not want to leave. Everyone here was so . . . there was no word to describe it. But, it was different. It was almost as if they had accepted us into their world for good. The idea of acceptance was warming.

"Thanks for everything, Sora."

Of course, the moment was ruined. Mushu stomped around the palace, glaring at everything he laid eyes on. "Now they _gotta_ let me go back to bein' a guardian! They _gotta_!" he shouted.

Goofy scratched his head. "But Mushu, I thought you already _were_ a family guardian."

"What? Oh, no, no—don't even worry about that, that's just real technical. Just for us guardians."

Technical . . . yeah, right. Sora pointed an accusing finger at the tiny dragon. "You tricked us!"

"No, no, no, no—see, I-I just, uh . . . You know, I just didn't want to bother y'all with the guardian—" He didn't even get a chance to finish his lies. The brunet charged after the dragon. When he realized that he had been caught, Mushu began high-tailing it around the palace, the teen right on his tail. "See, it's very complex and a lot of fine print! You wouldn't understand!"

I glanced back over at Mulan. Shan-Yu's sword in her hand had begun to shake. It glowed bright, rising into the sky and out of her hands. Was it the Keyhole for this world? "Sora!" I called out.

"Huh?"

He turned around. The boy wasted no time in summoning his weapon. A flash of light of light appeared in his hand, leaving behind the shiny, silver, and gold key. He spun it around a few times—most likely for dramatic effect—and pointed it at the shining sword. A beam of light shone from the key, then the sound of a lock echoed through the palace. This world was safe. Another world can go without suffering thanks to him. It was good to know . . . that all of our new friends can live peacefully.

"Okay," Goofy said. "Guess it's about time to be movin' on."

The Emperor nodded his head in understanding. "You shall be missed."

We had to go? I didn't really want to go. I knew that there wasn't a chance that I could stay here, that it would be meddling with the worlds, but I couldn't help but to feel a little down. "Do you think . . ." I started off, not sure how I should ask this question. "Do you think it's okay if we come by to visit some time?"

Mulan beamed at me, and gave me a quick hug. "Of course!"

"We will look forward to your return," Captain Shang added.

Snickering, Sora teased, "You two play nice."

"Yeah, you better not screw it up with her, Captain," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

Captain Shang and Mulan shared a look before they both turned red. They clearly didn't like being put on the spot, but it was worth it. It was shocking to see that the Captain had actual emotions. "Whoa . . . Watch it, soldiers!" he warned.

Mulan chuckled. "Goodbye, Sasuke, Sora, Donald, Goofy!"

We waved, walking down the palace steps to get back to the Gummi Ship. The fact that we could return any time we wanted to was reassuring. Though, there was still something that I wanted to get off my chest. "Captain Shang's going to screw it up, isn't he?" I asked.

Sora laughed. "Who knows?"

* * *

 **Another chapter down! This world has a bit of sentimental value to me, so don't be shocked if it comes up again later. Also, this is one of the last chapters before some big stuff happens. Be prepared for the next few chapters.**

 **Not telling which world is next! But, either way, I hope you enjoyed this long chapter. Maybe follow, favourite, or leave a review?**

 **Also, I want to know what I'm doing right. Leave a review telling me your top two favourite moments, chapters, or even quotes in the story so far. It'll help me figure out what you guys would like more of :)**

 **~ Insane**


	13. The Beast's Castle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWELVE: THE BEAST'S CASTLE**

 **SASUKE**

 **"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."  
\- Martin Luther King Jr.**

* * *

" **I LEARNED FROM** my mistakes; that's the last straw. None of them are allowed to drive, Goofy. They're too thick-headed to listen to directions. It's a shock that we aren't all dead by now."

My shoulders slumped and my body sank into my seat. Just as they had promised, it was my turn to drive when we got back onto the Gummi Ship. But . . . the thing was, the ship was, incidentally, a lot harder to drive than it looked. Buttons and knobs decorated the driver's side—each sturring up different effects. One lever almost killed everyone. The eject one. Then came the steering. It wouldn't have been that bad if it weren't for the ship moving at ridiculously high speeds. The power made it even harder.

Sora let out a breathless chuckle. He had warned me that it would be impossible to pick up on the first try. Maybe it was the competitor in me that wanted to prove him wrong. He was right in the end, though—as much as I didn't want to admit it.

His arm was thrown lazily over the top of his seat; his gaze trailing out into the black abyss outside of the windows. He watched the stars in content before a sigh blew passed his chapped lips. Instantly, his tongue darted out to run across them.

"Oh, calm down," he said. "It wasn't that bad, Donald. You can't just give up on us."

He then procceeded to pop his knuckles. The multiple cracking sounds almost seemed to echo, and managed to send a shiver up my spine.

"You're only saying that because you want to drive the ship again," the duck defended. I could see him glance at the boy through the rearview mirror. "Maybe in three years when you guys learn some common sense. But, as for right now, it's a no from me."

Sora rolled his eyes.

Rolling his eyes seemed like such an unexpected thing for him to do. It was as if he was growing less and less patient with each passing world. He wasn't acting like his usual 'I'll talk your ear off' self. Rather, he stayed like this, keeping quiet with thoughts ruling his mind.

What kind of things did a person like him think about? Snoring away on golden grains of sand came to mind. On cue, he let out an exaggerated yawn. At least his sleeping habits hadn't change yet.

"Oh, don't get your puberty in a twist," Donald grumbled. He must have seen the eye roll as well. All his comment did was earn him another one. "There's another world coming up. Tighten your seatbelts—we're landing."

My hand reached over to buckle the seatbelt around my torso. The boys quickly did the same. With the sound of clicking, we were buckled in place, and Donald was free to twist the ship into the new world. The ship jerked forward; my back slammed into the seat.

We had all been seperated on a pirate ship the last time we didn't put the belts on. Call it a traumatic experience if you will. Either way, we weren't planning on going anywhere.

So we went off—off to another world to shut the keyhole. There was a chance that this world was somewhere that we had went before. It easily could have belonged to one of our friends. Jack and Sally? Hercules and Phil? Maybe even Ariel and Sebatian? The corners of my lips tilted upwards at the thought. We could see our friends, the ones who had been locked inside of my memory to never be forgotten. And even if no one that we knew was in this world, there was a possiblity that it could be the next one.

I glanced out of the window to see what was approaching. The world that Donald had picked was nothing short of a huge castle. Pointed rooftops stood high above the clouds hovering above it, contrasting well with the full moon behind it. We were headed to a castle. It didn't look like any of the castles we had visited last year. No. This place looked a lot more . . . victorian, dark, gothic, and mysterious. It definitely wasn't the most light and airy one.

Donald attempted to land the Gummi Ship as gently as possible. It landed in an area surrounded by evergreen trees . . . the forest. It was almost as dark as space, and it honestly would have been similar if it were not for the chirping of crickets in the distance. He opened the ship's door, letting in the smell of fresh pine. It had just rained judging by the smells.

"Are you ready?" he asked us. When we nodded, he took the first step outside. "Woah, this place is pretty dark."

Sora unbuckled his seatbelt and moved to get out, too. The sense of adventure had replaced his previous nonchalant attitude. Maybe he was sick of being in the ship. But he was back to normal now that we landed . . . though he wasn't one hundred percent. My hand reached out to grab his bicep before he could leave his seat. Cid was right; all of the fighting that he had been doing for the past year had really been leaning out his arms.

Despite that, I sucked in a breath, and asked quietly, "Hey, Sora, what's wrong?"

He looked down at me; brown eyebrows furrowed in confusion and spikes of hair falling into his face. "Nothing," he answered as I released his arm. "Why do you ask? Does there look like there's something wrong with me?"

Of course it looked like there was something wrong with him. But did I have enough heart to tell him that? Not only that, but it was hard to pinpoint what _exactly_ was off about him. The change had been so sudden. However, there was one thing for sure. Whoever he was turning into reminded me a lot of . . . Riku.

"I don't know," I replied. "You just seem a lot more . . . I don't know . . . agressive?"

His eyes wandered over to where Donald and Goofy were searching the area, then trailed down to his hands. "Sorry."

He didn't want to talk about it—I could tell from the way he reacted. And that was fine. He didn't have to talk. My only intention was to understand him better. If he didn't want to tell me what was wrong, that was okay. I wouldn't have been there if I didn't care.

In attempt to change the subject, my hand reached out to brush along the bruise on his jaw. Shades of purples, reds, and blues danced across the tanned skin. It was no longer a blackish-purple. That meant that the ice pack had helped the swelling.

"The bruising is getting better." I smiled at him. "Does it still hurt?"

He finched away when my fingers moved against his bruised cheek. "Ouch!"

I pulled my hand away from his cheek, opting to check his eyebrow instead. There was a small cut above the thick hairs. Though, the difference was that he hadn't gotten the cut in his fight. He had gotten it in the fight against Shan-Yu, and hadn't even spoken up about it.

"Damn it, Sora. This could be infected."

He parted his lips to probably tell me that he _'was a big boy and didn't need this much attention'_ , but froze. Instead, he watched as I examined his face over, brows pulled low, and the tiny crease between them showing. I almost sighed.

There it was again; he was locking himself in his own thoughts. He was drifting into his mind again even though I was here for him to talk to. He was confiding in himself instead of me. That alone was enough for me to pull out my hair. _What was he thinking about?_

"Sasuke, uh . . ." He moved his teeth to bite his bottom lip, but stopped when he remembered that it was still busted. "Um, I—I—"

"This world's Keyhole isn't going to lock itself!"

Donald was outside of the ship yelling at us. It had been so unexpected that Sora yelped and fell over. I let out a chuckle. He had been in such a deep thought that he was startled. Such was the mystery of this new—not so improved—Sora.

"What were you saying?" I asked when he was done having a mini heart attack. He shook his head. Of course he wasn't going to tell me. That was fine, too; I could wait. Holding out a hand for him, I added, "Well, then come on before the duck starts throwing one of his temper tantrums."

He chuckled, shook his head, and slapped his hand against mine. Once it was there, my grip tightened around his, pulling him to his feet. Soon after, we were climbing out of the Gummi Ship to the irritated duck. The duck shot us a glare to which Sora returned with a thumbs up. Whatever was troubling him must have been long gone by now.

Oh, what I would have gave to be inside of his head just once. He held so many secrets and responsiblities. But, above that, he looked like he was stressing out. Maybe that was what his problem was. Sora was probably stressed out.

"About time," Donald mused as we walked over. "I was beginning to think that you two were going on strike or something."

Sora snickered. "A strike? No. Do we need a break? Yes. My face has shed enough blood in the past forty-eight hours to feed an extended family of mosquitos."

I nodded in agreement. If anyone needed a day or two off from fighting, it was him.

"Gawrsh, Sora's right. He isn't looking so good."

"Gee, thanks, Goofy . . ."

Donald waved them off. "Fine, fine. After this world, we'll go back to Hollow Bastion for some R-and-R."

 _Seriously?!_ If that wasn't enough motivation, I didn't know what was.

Donald led us to the giant castle in the distance beyond the trees. Dried up leaves crunched beneath our shoes. The wind was picking up, carrying along the scent of wet dirt and pine. This world appeared so . . . eerie. The wolves howling somewhere at the moon wasn't helping that.

The castle was big enough to be anywhere from ten stories high to twelve stories. The front doors themselves were over ten feet tall, a rich purple, and had intricate designs sketched into the framework. The outside walls were an expensive gray brick. Vines, both alive and withered, snaked up the sides of the castle, going up high enough to disappear from view. The castle was old, that much was for sure, but that didn't take away from its beauty.

Sora used the lionhead knockers to pound at the door. I could hear the deep rumbling echoing inside of the castle. So we waited—waited for a sign of life to make itself visible. Though, nothing did. No one must have been inside. Noticing that no one was going to come, Sora pried the double doors open, and stepped aside so that we could enter first. Donald was the first to go in; his webbed feet slapped against the marble flooring—Goofy and I right behind him. There was a creaking noise followed by a slam . . . and then we were shut inside of the castle.

The inside's design was similar to the outside's. A royal purple rug went from the front door to the elegant staircase a few feet away. Armour suits of knights sat in display along the walls; different weapons in the iron hands. Brick columns lined the foyer, each carrying torches to light up the dark. They were the only sources of light besides the moonlight shining in from the tall windows.

The colour scheme of this place was pretty obvious. Royal purple and gray.

"Hey, what is this place?" Sora asked Donald and Goofy. No one appeared to notice how his voice had squeaked a few octaves higher at the end of his sentence. Which, ultimately, was good for him because it startled him.

Sora took a step forward. His gazed scanned over the area in sudden interest. Not that there was much to scan over. Other than the scenery itself, there was nothing. Only the sound of the wind blowing outside and the sound of our shoes against the marble flooring.

Donald let out a gasp. "It's huge!"

"And sort of gloomy, don't ya think?"

Goofy glanced at the suits of armour. The shady aura around here wasn't noticed by just me. It was a universal feeling; we all thought this place was more on the mysterious side.

This time, there was not squeak when Sora spoke again. "I wonder who lives in here."

That was a good question. What kind of person—one so reserved and gothic—would choose to live in a castle so haunting as this one. The image of an old man with an expensive cane came to mind. Or perhaps some sort of reclusive monter. That one would be more fitting.

I took a step forward to see if there was anything that we had missed. There was one; the monsterous growl that ripped through the air. It wasn't a regular growl. It sounded like it came from . . . a huge beast. Donald jumped.

"Hey, does anybody else recognize that? It sounds familiar."

I glanced over at Goofy. He knew what that sound was, supposedly, or at least where it had came from. Behind him, Sora snapped his fingers as if something clicked in his head, a small smile tugging on his lips.

"Hey! That's the Beast!" he exclaimed. _The what? They actually knew a beast?_

Goofy nodded. "Maybe we should go check up on him. That growl sounded kinda upset."

Everything that they were saying wasn't making any sense. My fingers combed through my hair to scratch my head. So they actually knew a beast. And that beast was in this castle. And that beast was also a male . . .

"Guys," I started slowly. "What are you talking about—"

I didn't get a chance to finish talking. The black shadow beginning to slither around on the ground was more important. The shadow crawled on the marble flooring before running off underneath the door that led out of the foyer. Then, it was gone, and we were speechless.

It didn't take much to realize what that was. A Heartless. Heartless were crawling around this castle and—figuring that the boys knew him and wanted to make sure that he was okay—they were probably ambushing this beast person. A look was shared between the four of us; it was all the agreement that we needed. Nodding, we ran to the door that the Heartless had disappeared through.

I peeked my head inside. The room was large with purple and gold trimming along the walls. A white, elegant fireplace sat in the wall across from the door, wood burning inside, filling the room with the scent of hickory. The furnishings were gothic and expensive-looking—just like the rest of the castle. Though, the first thing that stood out was the silence. There was nothing in the room other than furniture. Not even a trace as to where the Heartless could have gone was left behind.

Opening the door further to let the boys in, I mumbled, "Where did it go?"

Something in the corner of the room caught my eye. It wasn't the mass of darkness that we were searching for. Rather, it was a floating, bright red rose inside of a glass case. The case sat on a table by the fireplace without any disturbance. None of the petals were withering, either. In fact, it almost _sparkled_ by how well kept it was.

Without a second thought, I took a step closer to the sparkling flower. "Wow . . . this is . . . beaut—"

"Found it," Donald quacked. His feathered finger had shot out to point to the right of me.

The Heartless from earlier had spawned into the room again in its shadow form. It must have been waiting until we were distracted to get the jump on us this whole time. But, there wasn't just one of them—they kept spawning . . . and spawning . . . and spawning.

I moved my attention from the rose and made a fist with my hand, feeling the familiar rush of heat as my Keyblade appeared. There were more flashes of light, and the boys had summoned their weapons as well. Then, without warning, Goofy jumped into battle, sending his knight's shield crashing down on a few of the Heartless. It was a reminder as to why the dog was the strongest out of all of us. Then again, as Sora tore through the creatures, I knew that Goofy's title wouldn't last long.

Donald shouted out spells while we went into battle. Bursts of fire were constantly being sent across the room, enough to make me nervous that he would actually set everything in the room on fire. My body had to twist out of the way when the duck aimed to freeze a few of the Heartless.

He was our best defence when it came to magic . . . though he wasn't the best when it came to carefullness. It was the reason why half of our team had already almost been taken out by his thunder magic.

After nearly twenty minutes of constant combat, the monsters were still spawning. They would appear in the flooring as black shadows before crawling out to morph into creatures. It wasn't the most settling sight to see over and over again. Sora blew out a sigh as he shook his head.

"Oh, enough already." He groaned as if saying it would make the Heartless go away. It didn't. They kept coming.

Donald shot another burst of ice, shouting, "Somebody help us!"

And perhaps, in the end, those were the magic words. The door leading back into the foyer crashed open. It had been so hard that the golden handles slammed into the balls beside them. In walked a creature covered in brown fur, long horns, and a permanent scowl. Surprisingly, Donald, Sora, and Goofy cheered at the sight.

Was this the thing they wanted to check up on? Was this their Beast?

The purple cape floating behind him made him look like a superhero as he stomped into the room. The Heartless sprung to attack, the Beast attacked back, and with a few swings of his extended claws, they were all gone. No more of the creatures were spawning, either.

A large smile pulled on Sora's lips. His black-gloved hand reached up to wave happily at the guy, beaming, "Just in time!"

But that happiness was short-lived. The Beast marched to where the boys stood, and swung his huge arms to knock them out of the way. Donald flew across the room . . . Goofy yelped . . . and Sora fell onto his back with a loud _thud._

"Hey!"

No words were exchanged after that. The Beast started a path toward me. As soon as he walked closer, the thought of him hurting me like he did the others came to mind. I felt my skin go pale, which wasn't a good thing considering that it already was from the lack of the island sun. His ocean blue eyes glared down at me; it sent a wave of shivers and goosebumps down my spine. I had to get out of his way. So, that's what I did. I stepped over to where Donald and Goofy were shuffling onto their feet, grim expressions on their faces.

When I was out of the way, the Beast carefully scanned over the sparkling rose, picked it up, and silently walked out of the room. That was it. He didn't even glance in our direction.

"Some friend, huh?" I mumbled once the shivers went away.

They weren't shivers of fear. They were shivers of an impending threat. It was almost as if he had threatened to hurt me without saying anything.

Goofy stood up straight. Whatever just happened must have went through one ear and out through the other. "Gee, do ya think he maybe forgot who we are?" he asked softly.

My heart squeezed inside of my chest. How could anyone forget a sweetheart like Goofy?

Sora nodded at the possibility. "With this many Heartless running around, something must be up."

Donald looked the least bit forgiving out of the three boys. He moved his shoulder around where the Beast had rudely knocked him out of the way. It caused loud popping to echo through the room. I almost flinched by how banged up it sounded.

"Why'd he have to do that . . ." Donald grumbled. He had a point . . . yet again.

Sora walked out of the room first. He started in the direction that the brooding Beast went in with a jog through the flung open doors. Donald and I followed after him with a sigh, Goofy right in front of us.

This person, the Beast, didn't seem all too friendly. He had managed to almost bang up Donald's shoulder, and made me feel threatened in a matter of two minutes. Not only that, but he had completely ignored the people that were his so-called _friends._

The foyer leading to the castle's main entrance was quiet. The sound of a pin dropping could have been heard if it weren't for our shoes slapping against the marble flooring. Purple curtains blew in the corner from the wind sneaking in from outside. There were no signs of the Beast, nor the Heartless around. Where had he disappeared to so fast?

Donald froze in his place, which was something that the duck rarely did. If he stopped walking, it must have been because something serious had came up.

 _Was it because his shoulder was banged up?_

Fearing that it was, I turned to him, and asked, "Donald, what's wrong? Are you okay over there?"

"Yeah, I'm all right," he answered, his dark eyes glancing up at the twisting staircase at the end of the foyer. "It's just that . . . I could have sworn that there was a lady standing at the top of the stairs."

We glanced up to see what had caught his eye. Had there really been a lady at the top of the stairs? From what I could make out, there was no one standing on the steps above. There was no one standing around them, either. It was a chance that the duck could have been seeing things. But, there was also a chance that this place could have been haunted. My mouth dried up at the thought. We've seen a lot of things lately . . . but mean beasts and ghosts in a haunted castle had to take the cake.

Goofy scratched behind his floppy, black ears. "Well," he timidly started. "If the Beast is here in the castle, that lady musta been Belle, right?"

Sora's head nodded in agreement, a look of realization crossing over his features. Whatever Goofy said must have made sense to him. "Yeah, maybe so. Belle might know what happened to the Beast, too."

In attempt to not seem rude, I slowly raised my hand. Donald glanced at me as if to say that I could ask my question.

"Who is Belle?"

"Why, she's one of the Seven Princesses of Heart!" Goofy explained with a smile. "Alice, Jasmine, Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, and Kairi."

 _They_ were the Seven Princesses of Heart—the ones that were needed to open the doors to Kingdom Hearts. The boys had explained who they were on the long train ride to Yen Sid's tower. They were the ones that Sora, Donald, and Goofy had saved . . . and I was the one that they couldn't. Kairi was one of them as well.

I thought it was funny how things turned out in the end. Sora was the hero that everyone was waiting for, Riku was off somewhere with King Mickey roaming in the dark realm, Kairi was an important princess, and I was the girl with no place in all of this. Out of everything, my story had to be the least shocking.

"Let's go check it out, then."

With a nod to Goofy, the four of us started up the long staircase. The stairs split off into two parts: the left wind and the right wing. Donald forced us to go up the right, saying that it was where he had seen the woman disappear to.

The east wing of the castle was decorated similar to the foyer. Paintings of the forest hung on the pale purple-coloured walls. Pink-purple couches lined the walls along with the occasional closed doors. Expensive-looking rugs covered the marble flooring. The only light in the hall was from the moon beaming in through the windows. It was almost . . . eerie looking.

We waled further into the hall. In front of me, Goofy's armour kept clanking together, making an echo off the walls. Sora whipped around—stopping me and the dog in our tracks—and put a finger over his lips to shush him. Goofy nodded guiltily.

We tiptoed over to one of the doors, standing close enough so that we could eavesdrop. There was a soft voice speaking inside. More importantly, it sounded like they were crying—definitely a woman's voice.

"Oh, what am I going to do?" We could hear the voice sniffle from the other side of the wooden door.

Sora glanced down at Donald, and pointed a finger to the door. He was using those military hand signals again; he wanted him to barge into the room.

Giving a thumbs up, Donald took a few steps backwards to get a head start. After he mentally counted to three, the duck ran full speed at the door without warning. His non-hurt shoulder was jutted out to ram into the wood. However, he didn't collide with it like we planned. Rather, before he could get to it, the door opened by itself, and he tumbled in onto the floor.

"Hey, who opened the door" he snapped, his voice muffled by the carpet.

He glanced up to yell at whoever it was. That was, before his previous anger morphed into wide eyes.

Inside stood a brunette girl—perhaps in her late teens to early twenties. Her hair was pushed back into a neat bun at the back of her neck, secured in place with a blue ribbon. The ribbon matched the blue and white dress she was wearing. Her skin was a light olive colour, and her smile was welcoming. She was also tall, trumping my height by a good four or five inches.

So, this was Belle? Goodness, she was gorgeous . . .

She grinned down at the startled duck. "Oh, I'm so happy you're here! Donald! Sora! Goofy!" she cried.

She bent down to pick Donald up, cuddling him to her chest. She didn't seem to care that he was squirming to get out of her hug.

Sora and Goofy waved at her, greeting in unison, "Hiya!"

Whoever this girl was, she seemed awfully sweet. Her personality contrasted with the gloomy exterior of this world. She was bright and beautiful, while everything else was dark and eerie.

"Put me down! Put me _down_!"

She gave the screaming Donald an apologetic look before gently placing him on his feet.

"I'm sorry," she said as her blue eyes looked over at me. They held the same It's-Nice-To-See-You-Again expression that she held for the boys. It was almost as if she knew me already. "This is your friend?"

Goofy nodded. "Yup! She's okay! Probably even better than she was before."

"Oh, that's good to hear." The woman smiled at me. "My name is Belle. It's nice to finally meet you . . . while you're awake."

Oh. That explains it. She must have seen me when they had rescued the princesses. That made sense.

"You, too. I'm Sasuke."

"Where's the Beast?" Donald asked once his dizziness went away.

Belle let out a heavy sigh. "He must be in the west wing. We don't talk like we used to."

I could make out the sadness in her tone. Her shoulders had slumped at the mention of his name, and her bright eyes turned glossy. It was like she wanted to communicate with him . . . but couldn't. Like he was miles away from where she was right now.

"Did something happen?" Sora asked with a raise of his brow.

"Yes." She nodded. "Isn't that why you're here now?"

Donald, Goofy, and I looked at Sora. What were we supposed to say to that? This girl was clearly in a fragile state considering the circumstances. We couldn't just say anything that could put another damper on her mood.

"Not exactly," Goofy started for us. "But we can still help out! Since we're here and all."

I nodded in agreement, carefully asking, "The Beast won't talk to you?"

"He's been acting strange lately." Belle sighed. "The only ones who might know why are locked up in the dungeon. I want to help them, but . . ."

 _This castle had a dungeon? Just another continuation for the eerie factor . . ._

"Wait a second." Sora crossed his arms behind his head in that all too familiar way he did. "Who locked who up?"

"The beast locked up his servants," Belle explained.

"But why?"

"That's what I _don't_ know."

From what I was gathering, they spoke about the Beast like he was truly a nice guy. But, that didn't explain why he was such a jerk downstairs. Something wasn't adding up.

Sora put his arms down. "Hmm . . . Where's this dungeon?"

Belle tilted her head to the left. "You can get to the undercroft from the west hall. The dungeon is down there."

"West hall. Got it."

"Be careful!"

Sora gave her a thumbs up. It was then when it really occurred to me that people relied on him so much. A lot of people relied on him. He was everyone's hero . . . which was still hard to see from the kid who used to draw pictures in a cave with me when we were twelve.

I glanced up at him. There had been so many changes in the past year or two. One day we were throwing sea water at each other on the island. The next we were a million miles away while he saved everyone. A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. Sora never ceased to amaze me these days.

We walked out of Belle's bedroom and into the dark hall, starting for the west wing.

The west wing was different from the rest of the castle. It was filled with golds, bronzes, browns, and light. There were no dark spots in this hall. Suits of armour holding up swords lined the walls like the ones in the foyer. A burgundy rug went along the length of the hallway. It was . . . pretty and what I predicted a castle would look like. More or less the opposite of the rest of the castle, and ironically the side that held the dungeon.

Sora looked around the long hall. "There should be a way into the undercroft around here," he mumbled to himself more than to anyone else.

Toward the middle of the hall, there stood a pale green wardrobe against the wall. A wooden door sat behind it . . . almost as if it was being guarded. Someone must have pushed the wardrobe in front of it to hide the door away. Thankfully, they hadn't done a good enough job.

"There is is."

Sora made his way over to the wardrobe with us in tow. It shouldn't have been too hard pushing the furniture out of the way. Pressing his shoulder into the wood, and using his legs to push his body forward, Sora began moving the wardrobe out of the way.

That is, until it grew a pair of eyes and a mouth. The four of us instantly jumped a foot away in fright.

"Do you _mind_?!" it screamed at us.

 _God, this thing was loud._

It used its wooden legs to move back in front of the door. Then, surprisingly, it just went back to sleep.

So there were living furniture in this world. As much as I didn't want to believe it, this wardrobe had proved it to me. And I wasn't all too sure why it shocked me. This had to be one of those most tame things we've seen all year.

Rolling his eyes, Sora quietly pushed it out of the way again so that it wouldn't wake up. However, it did anyways. Its round eyes shot open before staring down at the boy beside it. Sora ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"And I was just starting to get comfortable . . . May I help you, young man?"

Sora looked around to see if the furniture was, indeed, actually talking to him. "Huh? What? Me? Oh, right—Belle needs us to go to the dungeon."

The wardrobe smiled. "Goodness. You're here to help me friends? Well, why didn't you say so?" she belted. "I'm sorry I startled you."

I stood up straight to pass off the fact that she had scared me early. "It's all right, Miss Wardrobe."

She chuckled. " _Miss Wardrobe_. Oh, I used to be human, you know . . . until the enchantress casted her spell. I was turned into a wardrobe when the prince was turned into a beast."

 _What?_ My eyes went wide in shock. _Had I just heard her right?_

"The prince is the Beast?!" I almost gasped. "The Beast is a prince?!"

The image of the mean guy once being a ruler of a Kingdom with pretty blue eyes came to mind. It was shocking. Unbelievable even.

The wardrobe sadly nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Although his behaviour was far from princely at the time . . ."

"What's this about a . . . spell?" Sora asked.

"Well, it was a cold winter's night . . ." the wardrobe started.

This sounded like the beginning to an interesting story. The four of us leaned in closer so that we could hear her better.

"And that's enough for now. You can hear the rest when you've rescued the others. It'll give you something to look forward to."

"Aww . . ." Donald whined.

"Hurry now. The dungeon is damp and chilly. Certainly no place for a clock!"

"A clock?" Goofy asked.

"You'll find out soon enough."

There had to have been other living pieces of furniture like the wardrobe. Such as a clock. And they all must have been falsely accused and thrown into the dungeon. It didn't make sense why a bunch of spell-ridden household items could have potentially harmed the Beast. If anything, they were probably as nice as Belle.

Once the wardrobe moved out of the way, Goofy pulled the door open so that we could entre first. Inside was a small room that inhabited a fight of brick stairs going downwards. So, I walked in first, going down the stairs and deeper into the mysterious castle. Their was a slam behind me . . . and I knew that we were now shut in.

The stairs lef to an empty area surrounded by nothing but green-tinted bricks as the flooring, walls, and even the ceiling. There was a door on the wall across from the stairs. Two stone monsters clung onto it as if they were decorations.

Wow. A lot of cash must have went into the design of this place.

Sora sucked in a breath, his cheeks puffing out the slightest bit as he announced, "This must be the door to the dungeon."

Donald stepped forward to pull it open. Though, it wasn't as easy as we thought it was going to be. With a flash of light, the stone monsters slowly came alive, turning black with the familiar heart symbol on them. Their large hands were holding the door closed. It wasn't some expensive add-on in the castle's design. Those were Heartless.

They swung their arms around to squash Donald with their fists. Luckily, the duck jumped back just in time. With that initial attack started, we summoned our weapons. It was time to fight again.

Since one of their arms were holding the door close, they each only had one arm to fight with. That was a great disadvantage on their part. We charged at them, splitting up into teams. Donald and I had the one on the right while Sora and Goofy fought the one on the left.

I was better at close range attacks with my Keyblade, so I stuck to striking it head on. Donald lagged back a bit to shoot it with his countless spells. Three balls of fire aimed at the Heartless, and it groaned in agony when they burned through its onyx skin.

Sora and Goofy were the first to take theirs out. They combined an attack, the Kingdom Key and the Knight's Shield, and brought down the Heartless. Donald and I finished us soon after, me throwing my Keyblade at the Heartless. The spiked weapon lodged into its head, and it cried out, obviously out for the count.

Sora jumped back before spinning his Kingdom Key around in his right hand. Much like when he locked a Keyhole, he shot a beam of light at the door . . . rather this time, it unlocked it. Once the light cleared away, the two Heartless were nowhere to be found. My Keyblade, once lodged into the Heartless' skull, clanked onto the ground. I stepped over, picking the weapon up to summon it away.

Sora forced his Keyblade away, took a step closer to the now unguarded door, and asked, "You think the dungeon's past this?"

Goofy nodded. "C'mon, we gotta set those servants free!"

This time, I was the one to pull the doors open. Inside were a bunch of loose hay and three wooden chairs. On the first chairs were a tea pot and a chiped tea cup. On the second chair was a candle holder. On the third chair was a miniature grandfather clock. Other than that, there was no one in there. The dungeon itself was completely empty.

Sora ran a hand through his spiked hair. "There's no one in here."

"You mean there's nobody to rescue?" Donald frowned, causing Sora to sigh.

"DID SOMEONE SAY _RESCUE_?!"

We jumped up in search of the French accent that had just spoken.

"Shh!" Another voice said. "Keep quiet. It might be _them_."

"Oh, but they look like nice people to me . . ."

The four of us shared a confused look. We didn't know what the hell was going on. There was a chance that the prisoners could have been hiding in the piles of hay. Other than that, there was literally no one else in here.

Goofy took a step further into the dungeon with his hands up in surrender. "We are nice. We're your friends."

Sora nodded, following the dog's lead. "Yeah. Belle sent us to find you."

That was all the information that the prisoners needed. The tea pot, tea cup, candle holder, and clock sprang off the chairs. My eyes went wide at the sight. The wardrobe mentioned something about a spell, and I had even come to the conclusion that everyone else could have been furniture, but I still hadn't fully expected for everyone to be mere objects.

Sora crouched down to the objects with a flashy grin. "I'm Sora," he explained, then motioned a hand in each of our directions. "Donald. Sasuke. Goofy—"

He was cut off by Donald charging for the servants. We all yelped out as the duck grabbed a hold of the clock, his black eyes sparkling with fascination. It was a wizard thing, I guessed. What other reason would he have to full blown scare everyone.

"D-don't touch!" the clock cried out as Donald started shaking him up and down. "I-I am self-winding, sir!"

I smiled at the candle holder. "I'm glad that you guys are okay. It sounded pretty bad when she said that you guys were locked in a dungeon."

The candle holder waved me off with his candle hand. "It is we who are overjoyed to see you."

Goofy ignored the screaming clock and the fascinated duck standing next to him. "Did somebody put a spell on you guys, too?" he asked.

"That's right!" the clock exclaimed, slapping Donald's hand away. "You've heard! It was the enchantress."

"It seems so long ago . . ." the candle holder sighed.

The tea kettle shook her head. "It was a cold winter's night . . . An old beggar woman came to the castle, and asked for shelter. But the master of this castle, that is of course, the Prince—"

She was cut off by yelling. We turned our heads to see Donald plucking at the clock's inner gears. He whined them and yanked at anything that looked like it could be yanked. I instantly felt bad for the poor guy.

"Stop that! Put me down this instant!" the clock screamed. Donald reluctantly placed him on the ground after a moment of hesitation. "Thank you. The master turned her away. All because of her, ahem, meager appearance."

"That's pretty mean," I mumbled.

The candle holder nodded. "Oui. He was a spoiled prince, so selfish and . . . show shall I say . . . cruel."

Well, that explained a lot. Now I knew where the Beast got his attitude from.

"Lumiere!" the clock warned the Frenchman.

"The old woman warned our master not the be deceived by appearances. Still, he would not take her in. The old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. She turned the Prince into a beast, a shape she though fitting for his cold heart. And to further punish him, everyone in the castle was enchanted, too," the tea pot said.

Sora let out a long whistle. "Wow . . . that's quite a story."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Goofy asked politely.

"Let's get the enchantress!" Donald shouted.

The tea pot shook her head. "Oh, no, dear!"

"We already know what needs to be done, but with the master out of sorts . . ." the candle holder—Lumiere—trailed off.

"He sure is acting weird," Sora agreed with him.

"It's almost as if he's forgotten how to trust others," the tea pot sighed. "You don't suppose he's been turned into a Heartless, do you?"

We jumped. That was definitely a possibility. Their story sounded very saddening. If the Beast were to let the sadness and darkness in his heart, there was no doubt that he could have been a Heartless by now.

Sora shook his head. "Heartless? If they're a part of this, then it's a good thing that we're here."

"Let's go find the Beast!" Donald shouted yet again.

The sound caused my ears to ring. I wasn't all too sure that my ears could take anymore.

Lumiere hopped toward the dungeon door. "Follow me, Messieurs and Mademoiselle. I know a shortcut."

* * *

 **THE BEAST'S ROOM** was utterly destroyed. The curtains hanging above the windows were ripped to shreds. The blue wallpaper was torn off the walls. The mirrors were smashed to pieces. The intricate paintings that hung on the wall were thrown around the room; the ones still hanging on were slanted. The bed was broken, the wood framing nothing more but a pile on the floor. Glass shards were scattered around on the ground like it had been there for the longest time.

The Beast stood by the window, looking at the beautiful, protected rose in front of him. He needed to guarded. That much I understood. Though I wasn't sure why, it was obvious in the way he lurked around it. He treated the flower like it was his lifeline, and, honestly, at this point, I wouldn't have been all too shocked if it was.

"You need to get rid of Belle." The man in the black cloak next to him kept talking, regardless if the Beast was paying attention or not. "She's scheming to take everything you have. This castle, your precious rose. And them . . . your life. Trust no one. Feed your anger! Only anger will keep you strong."

"I've had enough of strength," the Beast growled with a shake of his head. "There's only one thing I want—"

"What?" the cloaked man scoffed. "To love, and be loved in return? Who could ever love a beast?"

I had heard enough. I walked further into the room, my eyebrows furrowed with distaste, and random glass cracking underneath my shoes. Sure, the Beast hadn't made the nicest introduction to me, but I didn't understand how anyone could say that to someone. How could this man say that with the slightest of ease?

They turned around to see the four of us standing there watching their conversation. That's when it had happened. The same prickling feeling deep in my chest at the sight of those black cloaks. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.

"See?" the man told the Beast. "She has accomplices."

With a wave of his gloved hand, a summoned a black portal of darkness. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing would come out. It was as if my voice had suddenly disappeared. Not that it mattered anyway. The cloaked man vanished through the portal without a second thought, leaving us behind with a heavy atmosphere.

Sora took a friendly step closer with a small smile. "Hey, Prince."

The Beast didn't say anything to him. His head was held low in a regretful manner. Then, looking up, he let out an ear-shattering growl.

"Oh, dear! Master!" the clock—Cogsworth, he told us on the way here—tried.

I grabbed Cogsworth and moved out of the way when the Beast swung his claws at us. Everything that the Organization guy told him . . . he was taking it out on us. All that anger, sadness, fear . . . he was going to make sure that we felt it, too. And I didn't know which feared me most. The fact that this nice guy was hurting inside, or the fact that the Organization was the cause of this.

I placed Cogsworth behind the pile of broken bed pieces so that he wouldn't get hurt. Once he was safe, I felt the familiar surge of heat in my hand as my Keyblade appeared. We were going to have to fight the Beast. There was no other option . . . and if there was, it was an undetectable one.

Gripping the handle of his Kingdom Key in his hand, Sora called out to the Beast. But, it didn't help. It was like the guy was in some sort of trance.

He charged for Sora again, and, just like that, another fight was initiated.

His attacks were sluggish. He would gather up all his strength into one attack, then would take a second to regain his strength afterwards. That gave us a huge advantage to strike while he was tired. After he swung at Donald, Sora, Goofy, and I ran into to deliver a string of attacks. Unfortunately, they only lasted a couple of seconds because he regained his strength pretty quickly.

With a loud cry, Donald brought down a rain of thunder onto the Beast. It wasn't enough; he was still standing. Realizing that nothing was working, Sora glanced at me, and made another one of his military hand signals.

" _I'll give you a boost."_

He locked his hands together to create a stepping stone for me. He wanted to throw me up into the air again. It almost seemed like his 'go-to-attack' when he was in the mood for a last resort . . . not that I minded. I was just glad to help out.

I ran toward the boy to gain speed, using him to boost myself up when I placed my foot into his hand. The Beast chose that moment to sprint over to us. So, when he got close enough, I lifted my leg up, the tip of my shoe connecting with his chin. The Beast staggered backwards as I landed back onto the ground. If that wasn't one of the most perfectly timed attacks, I didn't know what was.

The Beast collapsed onto the floor having been knocked out by the kick. And I collapsed right next to him, huffing and puffing, trying to catch up with what just happened. We had won the fight . . . but it didn't necessarily feel like that. I closed my eyes to focus on evening out my breathing.

Oh, that poor guy. He was trying—he really was. And I knew what he wanted out of all of this. He just wanted to love Belle . . .

* * *

 **Oh, hey! I'm sorry my updating hasn't been very consistent. In fact, it's been over a month . . . or has it been two months? Anyways, here's another long chapter. Another one should be uploaded soon, so bear with me please! *whispers* My attention span isn't that well when it comes to writing anymore . . .**

 **I really do apologize!**

 **~ Insane**


	14. Roses And Spells

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN: ROSES AND SPELLS**

 **SASUKE**

 **"Cheer up, child. It'll turn out all right in the end. You'll see."  
** **\- Beauty And The Beast (1991)**

* * *

" **COGSWORTH . . . WHAT HAPPENED**?"

With a groan of discomfort, the Beast stood up to his full height as I did the same. He was clearly still groggy from being knocked out; the fight that we had a mere fifteen minutes ago had been vicious. Though, I could honestly admit that my mind was nowhere near the fight that took place. It was on the aching, brooding prince in front of me

Cogsworth marched over to the Beast once he realized that he wasn't going to cause him harm. Whatever trance he was in seemed to have disappeared. I hated to say it, but I had literally knocked some sense into him. It wasn't helping with the fact that my heart was reaching out to him. I felt bad about it.

"Well, Master . . . ah, you see . . ." the clock began to ramble on. ". . . that is . . . How shall I say . . . ah, actually . . . mmm . . ."

"You locked everybody down there in that dungeon!" Donald spoke up.

His arms were crossed over his white, feather-covered chest. A scowl was etched onto his face; it didn't look like it was going anywhere. The anger from the Beast shoving him earlier downstairs was still evident. I wanted to laugh. The duck sure did know how to hold a grudge, even after everything that had happened.

The Beast frowned, a hurt expression falling onto his features. "I did _what_?"

"Ah . . . you did!" Cogsworth added to back up Donald.

Sora took a step forward as if to say that there was no harm done. "Who was that guy you were talking to?" he asked softly. "The one in black?"

The Beast sucked in a breath, and uttered out a name that made my spine tingle—a name that I clearly wasn't ready to hear. Xaldin. He said that it was what the man's name was. The man who came from the darkness and used the Beast's anger to control him. The man who took all of his sorrow, his sadness, his pain—he took it and turned it all into rage. The name came with a certain sense of dread. Xaldin . . . The Organization XIII member's name was Xaldin.

"Well, I'll be. That must be why you threw all of your friends down there into the dungeon. You wanted to make sure that you didn't hurt 'em, right?"

Goofy was trying to make sense of it all. Slowly, the pieces were beginning to fall together.

The Beast looked down at his furry, clawed hands. "Was that it? Was it to protect them?"

"Sure. We know you're good inside."

"He's right, Master!" Cogsworth cheered. "We've all seen how kind you can be. After all . . . Belle can see the goodness in your heart. But, I'm afraid you've yet to—"

That must have hit a soft spot for him. The Beast sighed and hung his head even further. "Belle! I've mistreated her . . . I've mistreated and been so selfish—"

"No."

I was the one who cut him off. He looked over at me, sad blue eyes meeting my silvery ones, and I felt every wave of emotion. The guilt. The pain. Everything all seemed too much for him to handle on his own. Even though he didn't know what I was, I felt like I had to do something to help. So, taking a risk, I walked forward, and placed a hand on his shoulder. His brown fur was soft between my fingers.

"She didn't say anything about that," I soothed.

"She'd never tell anyone of my cruelty. She's too good."

Cogsworth cleared his throat. "You see, I'm afraid he judges himself way too harshly."

"Why don't you just go talk to her, then?" Sora asked. The Beast opened his mouth to come up with some excuse, but the brunet cut him off. "No excuses! C'mon, we'll go with you."

He was going to decline again.

Leaning forward so that only the Beast would be able to hear me, I whispered, "I know you love her. I'm almost certain she loves you, too. What's the worst that can happen?"

He nodded. That must have gotten through to him. He made no more protests about how she wouldn't want to see him. Rather, he walked passed us, and through his bedroom door. With him walking ahead, we marched through the west wing to get to the east one.

It was where we had left Belle. She should have still been in there. Before we left, she seemed too upset to suddenly go on an adventure around the castle. At least, that's what I hoped.

Sora leaned over toward me as we marched through the east wing. "Hey, what did you tell him?"

I shrugged. "That's between me and him."

"Hmph . . . sure," he teased, and, shockingly, didn't make a move to get it out of me.

I turned the knob to Belle's bedroom. It was a matter of time until we had this all sorted out. There would be no more guilt. No more anger. No more sadness. Only relief when the Beast found out that the person he cared about most still thought highly of him. That was, until I opened the door to reveal that she wasn't there. Instead, the wardrobe from earlier was standing in the middle of the room. Her dark eyes were wide with the fear of something we didn't know something about. The Beast took a step further into the room, moving past the four of us.

"Master!" the wardrobe cried.

"Everybody's safe now," he attempted to calm her down. "Where's Belle? Is she here?"

The wardrobe's eyes seemed to get even wider. If that was possible. "She left in a hurry," she explained, her voice panicky. "Something about going after this . . . man in black."

I have seen rage a countless amount of times. For example, when Sora fought Shorty in The Land Of Dragons, that was pure rage. But, this . . . hearing the Beast growl out so loud that the castle walls shook, was raw rage in its fullest form. He was completely pissed. No, pissed didn't seem to grasp his emotion all of the way. He was angry, and worried, and scared, _and then_ pissed.

"WHAT?!" he screamed. "Why doesn't she do as she's told?"

"Because she's a woman," I mumbled as my brows pulled low. Luckily, the Beast didn't hear it. Though, Donald had, shooting me looks as if accusing me of the same thing. I shrugged. "We have to go find Belle."

The Beast was out of the room before I could finish my sentense. If Belle went to go find the Organization member, this wouldn't be good. She was putting herself in all types of danger. Especially with this guy. The Organization was such an unpredictable group; it was hard to tell what they wanted. But, one thing was for sure. Belle was one of the Seven Princesses of Heart. That alone should have been enough to draw different forms of darkness to her.

We raced down the stairs in attempt to catch up with the Beast. His breathing was laboured with panic. He had almost floated down the stairs by how fast he was going. I had almost expected him to simply jump off the banister to save time, and I was sure he would have if it weren't for how bad he was trying to focus.

"I'm warning you! You'll be sorry!"

A voice rang throughout the foyer when we reached the bottom of the steps. The voice was feminine; it was obviously Belle. We looked around the foyer for any sign of the girl. From the suits of armour to the wind softly blowing the curtains, nothing was out of the ordinary. She wasn't there . . . yet, her voice sounded awfully close.

"Belle!" the Beast called out. "Where are you?"

She suddenly answered, "Beast! Help! I'm in the ballroom!"

We turned around in search of the girl. There was a ten foot high door up the stairs where the wings separated into the west and east wings. The Beast was the first to run over to it, pulling the door hard enough to fall off the hinges. _Could she be in a hostage situation?_

I felt a shiver run up my spine. Poor Belle. She was probably doing her best to give him hell, though, as confident as she had been since I met her a while ago.

The ballroom was huge. The entire room was coloured gold. The floors, the walls, the giant chandelier haning in the middle of the room; they were all gold. Golden pillars kept the upper floor from collapsing in. The high windows that went from the floor to the ceiling sat in the wall straight across from the entrance. It gave view into the stary night outside. There was a door between the windows leading into the balcony outside. But, my admiration of the room was soon interrupted by a yelp.

Belle ran across the room in that instant. Her hands held her blue and white dress up the slightest bit to make it easier to move. She pried open the balcony doors as the Beast called out her name. She paid him no mind.

Instead, she walked out onto the balcony, and shouted, "I'm all right!"

With that little reassurance, she closed the glass doors behind her. She would be safe out there . . . I hoped. The Beast moved to go after her, but stopped when a Heartless appeared in front of us.

It was shaped like a sphere with chains wrapped around its circular body. Bursts of black flames radiated from its body. Its body shook—startling me a bit—then, it disappeared into the ballroom floor. A bright light flashed in the corner of my eye. I looked over to see what it was; Sora had summoned his Keyblade. He got into a defensive stance, which didn't last long, all of us taking a few steps back when darkness began to cover the floor. The Heartless rose out of the ground, and let out a scream.

That was all that it took. The whole room was no longer its rich gold colour. It had been replaced with a purple-y black . . . completely shrouded in the darkness.

I summoned my Keyblade before charging for it. The Beast ran forward, dragging his sharp claws across the Heartless' skin. Attack after attack, the creature seemed to be growing weaker and weaker. If we kept it up, there was no doubt that it would have been taken down. Besides, these things always managed to put up a fight . . . though they were never good enough for the four of us combined.

The Heartless vanished after just so many attacks. Its skin, once an onyx colour, was now clear. It was invisible. My head whipped around in search of where it could have gone. The only sign that it hadn't completely left was the chandelier; it fell from the ceiling and crashed onto the floor. The five of us jumped back before we could have been hit. Though, it didn't save us for very long. Blue ray—that I was assuming would hurt upon contact—flashed out of the chandlier as it began to spin in slow circles. The Heartless was trying to attack us without physical contact.

I dodged the rays while Sora and the Beast tried to knock the chandlier back. With a few hits, it was flying back up to its spot on the ceiling, and the Heartless was visible in the centre of the room.

We attacked it. Mixtures of Keyblades, shields, magic spells, and claws were thrown its way. Eventually it became too much for it to handle. I thought that was it. That the Heartless would disappear into a cloud of darkness. But, it wasn't. Its body shook as black threads started to wrap in inside of a protective ball. Then, it happened . . . It transformed into a completely different creature. This one was taller, stronger, and resembeled that of a humanized lion.

It immediately made its body invisible, and Donald rolled his eyes. _Great._

It's hard to attack something that you can't see. That much I knew. And as we stumbled around the room looking for any traces of the monster, I realized that it was nearly impossible. That is, until Sora bumped into thin arm. Raising his Kingdom Key, he went in for the attack, the boys blindly following his lead.

They must have knocked the magic out of it. It's body came into view again. Enough for me to join in on the attack.

This creature was definitely stronger. Its skin was thicker when it came to blocking each swing. It was faster when it came to blocking each fireball. It was _better_. There was no wonder why the Heartless chose to fight in this form rather than its previous one.

The creature jumped back to get away from our constant attacks. Sora took this opportunity to run in the other direction, too. My eyebrows knitted together. _What in the world was he doing now?_

As if answering my question, he sprinted to one of the pillars, using the speed to run up the length of it. Once he was high before, he jumped before gravity could pull him back down. The chandlier was a lot lower due to falling a few minutes ago. The new height of it allowed him to grab onto the chain connecting it to the ceiling. Then, just like that . . . it crashed down on top of the Heartless.

"Watch out!" he shouted from on top of the light.

I ran for cover next to the front doors. The Beast, Goofy, and Donald were quickly behind me, running to get away from whatever the boy had planned. When we were in the safe spot, he gripped tighter onto the chandelier's chain, and swung his body, spinning the huge decoration around with him. The spikes on it came crashing into the Heartless' body over and over again. If there was any chance that it had miraculously survived the chandelier crashing on it, there was no way it survived that one.

Sora jumped back onto the ground as the chandelier retracted to the ceiling. His face was red from the strain of swing around the thing that _had_ to have been almost hundreds of pounds. He stumbled a bit, dizzy from the stunt he pulled. Nonetheless, the Heartless behind him cried out. Parts of its body crystalized before they broke apart, leaving nothing but a fading black mist in its place. It was over. The Heartless had been defeated.

The darkness that had covered the ballroom slowly began to peel away. The beautiful gold was returning, and so was the light. No longer was it a dark battle ground. It was now exactly how it was when we came in.

A small smile spread across my face as I crossed my arms over my chest, adding, "We did it. Thanks to ninja Sora's help. Seriously, where did you learn all of that? Have you been spending extra time with Yuffie?"

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. His lips parted to say something in response, but stopped when another voice spoke up instead.

"So you think."

The five of us turned around to find out who it was. A man in a black cloak stood at the double doors of the ballroom. It was the man the Beast had called _Xaldin_. I could feel my throat close up despite me trying to swallow the lump down. He hadn't left the castle at all. Then again, I wasn't sure what caused me to believe that he had just up and left . . . What caused to wish that he had. But, that wasn't the case. He just stood there, hands behind his back as if planning some grand sceme that we didn't know about. It was a chilling thought.

He let out a deep chuckle before disappearing through one of the Organization's iconic black portals. Then, he was gone. Nothing but the heavy sounds of our tired breathing was left.

"Xaldin," the Beast growled out. The man was clearly not on his list of favourites. "What does he want here?"

"He's in the Organization Thirteen," Sora explained.

The Beast turned around to look down at the teen. He simply just crossed his arms over his chest. The silver chain hanging around his neck rattled together from the movement.

"Ever heard of the Nobodies? When a strong-hearted person turns into a Heartless, a Nobody's created, too. See, the Organization . . . they've got control over all of the Nobodies."

Goofy nodded his head in agreement. "That's right. And they were gonna make you into a Heartless. That way, they could get that Nobody of yours and have control over it—"

"You're all right . . ."

I turned my head to see where the interruption had came from this time. Instead of a cloaked man, Belle stood by the balcony doors with a smile on her face. She didn't have to say or do anything else. The Beast was rushing over to her side in a heartbeat. The tea kettle, tea cup, clock, and candle holder all came out of their hiding places as well. Everyone was all right it appeared. No one was caught in a crossfire suring the battle.

"Belle . . . I-I'm so sorry—I . . . wasn't myself," the Beast stuttered. "I hope I haven't done anything to hurt you. Forgive me."

I couldn't help the idiotic grin spreading across my face. This was what everyone was waiting for. He was finally doing it. He was going to make it up to the girl he loved. It was about time.

Belle shook her head with a gentle smile. It was one worthy of a princess . . . which she was. All of them seemed to be the ones with this air of kindness and royalty around them. Now that I thought about it, ever since we were kids, that's how Kairi acted. She was the sweet and focused one. It was amazing that I hadn't figured that she was a princess sooner.

"I know you weren't yourself. You don't have to apologize to me," she said. "But I had hoped . . . that you might have changed a bit. I wish you could start trusting me."

We all flinched back when she pointed an accusing finger up at the Beast. Her eyes were glaring daggers and her tone was harsh. She sounded like an angry parent scolding their child. It was scary and hilarious at the same time. It was a shame that I was too afraid to laugh.

She crossed her arms and turned around to give the Beast the cold shoulder. He stood there in shock. His blue eyes were wide, and his jaw was dropped, exposing the row of fangs in his mouth. All that did was make Belle turn her nose up into the air.

Lumiere let out a sigh. "Oh, I am afraid time is running short."

"Time for what?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair to halfheartedly work out any tangles.

He looked up at me with raised brows. "Remember the rose?"

"You mean the pretty one from the Beast's bedroom?"

Cogsworth nodded from his spot beside his friend. "Precisely. You see, if the master can learn to love, and earn love in return, before the last petal falls . . . the spell will be broken."

Sora lightly bit down on his slightly bruised bottom lip. "Really? You think that he's going to make it in time?"

The tea kettle nodded this time. "We think so."

Yup," Goofy agreed, smiling wide. "I think you're right."

"I _hope_ you're right . . ." Sora huffed out. "It shouldn't be all too hard. All he has to do is tell her that he likes her."

"You're one to talk . . ." Donald grumbled.

Sora shot him a look. Whatever the duck was hinting at had struck a cord hard enough for the boy full on _glare_ at him. If looks could kill, Donald would have been on the ground by now. Not that he seemed to mind. He was smirking like he had just won some inner battle against the teenager. I chuckled. Those two will never change.

Though, the glare was short-lived. A flash of light beamed from Sora's hand. Once it was cleared away, his Kingdom Key's blue handle was left clutched in his fist. The Keyhole must have been here. That was the only explanation that I could come up with. There was no other reason why the key would suddenly choose to make an appearance. As if hearing my suspicions, Sora raised the Key high, and a beam of light shot out toward the ceiling. The Keyhole was definitely here. The locking sound that followed soon after confirmed it.

"What happened?" the Beast asked.

He marched over to us with Belle right beside him. They looked confused as to where all the white lights were coming from. Most importantly, they looked like they had made up. A little bit at least. But, in times like this, a little bit went a long way.

Donald raised his fist in the air, cheering, "The gate is open!"

"Gate? Does this mean that you have to go?" Belle asked.

"Yeah . . ." I sighed, saying the answer to the question that came almost frequently.

Goofy looked over at the Beast. "Now, no more arguin', okay?"

The Beast and Belle exchanged glances. Sighing, the Beast looked down at the tiled flooring and scratched his chin. Oh, he had it bad for her. It was adorable yet painful to watch at the same time. If only he had the courage to tell her.

"We'll see to it." The tea kettle laughed. "Take care, dears. You are welcome here any time. If you need anything, be it a meal or a place to sleep, the doors are always open."

"Thanks. If you hear anything about Riku or the King, the Heartless, the Organization—anything at all—let us know," he said. The Beast nodded. "All right. We've gotta go!"

Donald waved. "Bye, bye!"

* * *

 **I MUST HAVE** changed in the past year. Changed quite a bit. Before, it was so easy to bounce from world to world, saving people with Sora, Donald, and Goofy like the heroes we've always wanted to be. But now, as I grew older, each time we left, I was finding it harder and harder to leave. It felt like something inside of me was straining to stay there. Straining to latch onto something that it didn't have. And now, that's what it felt like.

My body slumped further into my leather seat. Maybe it was the homesickness taking over. For the past year, I had never felt it this hard. There had been a few pangs here and there, but never this. Maybe I was growing tired of moving, and wanted to stay somewhere permanent. That was the only conclusion that I could have came to. It was the _best_ conclusion that I could have came to.

"Huh?"

I was dragged out of my thoughts by Goofy's confused voice. He looked around the control panel of the ship in confusion. The dog was the one driving, which sent a bolt of concern through me when he shifted his hands away from the steering wheel. He held them in front of him as if he were surrendering. The ship was somehow steering itself.

"Hey, wait a minute . . ." Sora leaned forward out of his seat to double check. He must have noticed that Goofy wasn't steering, either. "Is the ship moving all on its own?"

Goofy nodded. "Yup! Looks like we're heading toward Hollow Bastion."

"Well, you _did_ say that we were going back for a while for some R and R," Sora piped up with a smirk. "Maybe it's the swear gods making sure you complete your promise, Donald."

Donald turned around in his seat to shoot the boy a look. "There's a reason you two are in the back seat. Let's pretend there's a sound barrier between the back and the front, yeah?"

I frowned. "Hey, what did _I_ do?"

"You're annoying by association."

"On what planet is _that_ fair?"

The duck shrugged. "Sorry, I can't hear you. The sound barrier, remember?"

Sora and I just laughed. We knew that he wasn't really upset. If anything, he was being bratty again. We were so used to at that, at this point, it was a running joke of ours. But, one thing wasn't a joke. We were going back to Hollow Bastion. It was good. We—mainly Sora's face—could use a break.

* * *

" **I WONDER WHAT'S** going on . . ." I mumbled. It was more to myself than to anyone else. If they were even paying attention to me.

We walked through the cobblestone paths in the housing district. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were busy scanning the place over for any signs of trouble. They found it mysterious that the Gummi Ship had been automatically brought here. Despite the shopping district being filled with the usual peaceful commotion, they weren't letting up. I wouldn't have been all too surprised if one of them had walked into a wall; they weren't even paying attention to where they were going.

However, we all snapped to alert when four Heartless stumbled out of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee's house. They were the shaky ones in the suits of armour. They weren't too difficult to handle, but they were still strong enough to cause some damage.

We ran forward as the Heartless vanished into thin air. Just like that, it was silent once again. It was like they weren't there in the first place. _What the hell?_ If the Heartless had just ran out of the house, something bad must have happened.

"Come on," I called out to the boys.

They nodded, following after me into the house.

Everything looked normal from what I could see. A few books were thrown around here and there. The giant computer sitting in the corner of the living room showed no signs of damage. Though, in the corner of my eye, I could see something that shouldn't have been there. Merlin was collapsed on the floor. I moved to help the man, but he was already climbing onto his feet. He must have been all right. He took a deep breath, and fixed the wizard hat on top of his head.

"Well . . ." he started, a bit shaken up yet as confident as ever. "Took your time getting here, did you?"

I took a tiny step forward, asking, "Are you okay?"

He flashed me a smile. "Yes. Don't worry about me, dear."

"Wait . . . was it you who summoned us, Merlin?" Goofy asked.

"Yes, yes . . ." The wizard nodded. "But it seems I used too much power doing so, and those infernal Heartless . . ."

Sora tilted his head to the side, his hair flopping around his ears like a puppy. "So, what's up?"

Merlin began to stroke his long, white beard as he explained, "Well, I happened to stumble across this in the Zero District."

He used his magic to summon a hardcover book. It passed through the air over to Donald. Grabbing it, the duck scanned the title, his black eyes going wide. Goofy and Sora leaned in to get a better book. Whatever the book was, it was enough to earn a gasp from the large dog.

"It's Pooh's storybook!" Sora happily announced.

I crossed my arms over my chest. _Who was Pooh?_

"That's right!" Merlin exclaimed. "I recall you being a good friend of Winnie the Pooh, Sora—that's why I summoned you. And when I did, I was attacked by the Heartless. Of course, I fought back with some rather powerful magic, but then I began to fear the book would be damaged, so I . . . Now, just a moment. Leon and the others need to hear this, too. I-I'd better go find them. Be back in a jiffy!"

And just like that, he was gone, leaving behind a fading cloud of sparkles. _Well, all right, then._ The news that Merlin had must have been important due to him making such a hasty exit. He hadn't even bothered to tell us where the others were. He didn't even _walk_ there—he chose teleport instead.

I looked around the house. The two couches in the living room had books tossed over them from the battle Merlin had with the Heartless. The small path leading to the dinning room was covered in stray books, too. The kitchen seemed fine, though. The set of wooden steps leading up to the second floor . . . not so much. A few books and knocked over knickknacks littered the steps. Where were all of these books coming from?

Sora glanced down at the book in Donald's hand with a soft smile. "I wonder how Pooh's doing."

"Do you wanna find out?"

I stared incredulously at the duck. He rarely let Sora jump into risky situations. When he did, it was because he was planning something. When Donald Duck planned something, there was usually only one outcome. Trouble.

Sora nodded his head. Getting the message, Donald opened the thick, brown, hardcover book to a random page. The pages were yellowing with illustrations of beautiful trees inked into them. Sora took a step toward it, causing Goofy to frown at the two boys.

"Sora—"

He cut the dog off with a thumbs up, pleading, "Cover for me, please?"

Goofy went silent. He was never one to put up an argument. He was too kindhearted for that. It was something that I admired, and something that ended up letting the boys get into risky situation. Our only voice of reason didn't want to use his voice.

Golden wisps of smoke began to rise from the book's pages. They clouded around the air, indenting the atmosphere with the sparkles. The smoke pooled at Sora's black and yellow high tops. It was engulfing him, and he was allowing it to. At the last minute, he turned to look at me. His eyes looked so sincere and his small smile was welcoming.

"Are you going with me, or are you staying here?" he asked.

My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I get an option?"

He rolled his eyes. Reaching out for me, he grabbed onto my hand, and intertwined his fingers with mine. With the next sudden contact, the smoke began pulling at my feet, too. He pulled me over to him once the smoke got high enough to reach our waists.

That was the last thing I seen before everything went white.

* * *

 **Hi! Sorry about the short chapter, but it's a chapter nonetheless, right? A new one should be up soon, so don't be too upset with me :) Plus, it's going to feature everyone's favourite yellow bear.**

 **~ Insane**


	15. Ice Cream On The House

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 14: ICE CREAM ON THE HOUSE**

 **SASUKE**

 **"** **I don't even remember the season. I just remember walking between them and feeling for the first time that I belonged somewhere."**  
― **Stephen Chbosky**

* * *

 **WHEN EVERYTHING CLEARED** out of my vision, I was left with the image of the woods. Trees and bright blue skies surrounded the area. The occasional chirping of birds rang here and there. Green bushes alined the dirt trail leading up to somewhere unknown. Colourful butterflies flew around to add to the serenity. Everything was calm . . . peaceful even . . .

I reached my arms out to check for any sign of dismemberment. I was fine. And, as someone placed their hands over my eyes to block out my sight, I realized that I truely did not know where I was. This world could have been just as dangerous as the other ones. Whatever was behind me was adding to that suspicion.

The person holding me hostage tightened their grip on my face. I felt my blood run cold in my veins. Was this a Heartless?

"Guess who," they breathed, and—in that instant—I knew it was the most harmless person in the world.

"You're such a goof, Sora." I squirmed out of his hold, causing him to laugh. "That's not funny. I was scared."

He must have known that I wasn't upset with him because he shrugged. "Sorry."

"Where are we, anyways?"

"The Hundred Acre Wood. My friend lives here," he explained, gazing over all the trees and flowers.

"It's pretty," I mused.

He looked down at me with a ghost of a smile. "Yeah. C'mon, his house should be at the end of the trail."

With that said, he started walking ahead of me. My legs jogged to catch up with his longer ones. He was effortlessly walking; his hands were shoved into his pockets as he looked around. All of this while I was struggling to keep up. I've said it a hundred of times, and I'll say it again. It felt like Sora was an entire foot taller than me now. Every action that I did seemed to pale in comparison to him.

And it bothered me. I was one of the taller kids back on Destiny Islands. The only ones way taller than me were Wakka and Riku. Now, there's was no telling. Hell, Kairi could even be taller than me now. The thought brought a frown to my face.

A tree appeared in the distance in a matter of minutes. There was a wooden door against it as if the inside of it had been carved out into a house. There was a mail box, porch light, and even a door mat to add to the homey feel of it all. But, the most notable thing was the yellow bear in front of the house. He was sitting on a log, his elbow on his knee in a thinking stance.

I lagged behind Sora in case I wasn't supposed to be seen by the bear. As in lagging behing, I meant creeping behind a tree a few feet away . . .

Sora marched over to the bear, taking gentle steps so that he wouldn't startle him. The bear looked up at him with the most adorable face I'd seen in a long time. It was wearing a red shirt that was too short to fit over its round belly. The bear was cute. And it was friendly, judging by how happy it looked to see Sora.

"Hey, Pooh Bear!" Sora greeted. "How are you doing? Finding enough honey lately?"

"Oh, yes." The bear nodded. "In fact, I was just about to do my stoutness exercises. Would you like to join me, Sora?"

So this was the Pooh that everyone was talking about. Even his voice was sweet and adorable. He had this aura about him that made me want to hug him, but I wasn't going to risk blowing my cover. It was no wonder why Sora had been so quick to jump at the chance to visit him.

Sora nodded. "Sure, I'm game."

Happy that he had someone to excersize with, Pooh beamed, jumping off of the log that he was sitting on . . . Only to freeze midair. His body went still as if gravity had never existed in the first place. He didn't blink, didn't breathe, didn't say anything. Not even the birds were chirping like they were a few minutes ago. The butterflies flying in the air and froze mid-flight. Nothing was moving anymore. It was like time had completely stopped.

I stepped out from behind the tree to stare at my best friend in confusion. Something told me that he was frozen in time as well. Though, I was proven wrong when he turned his head to glance over at me, too. He looked just as puzzled as I did. His hand reached out to touch Pooh, but nothing ever became of it. Before his gloved-hand even got close enough, his body was suddenly yanked into the air.

Then . . . he was gone.

Twigs crunched under my feet as I took a few more steps forward. The boy was nowhere to be seen—almost as if he wasn't there in the first place. I glanced up at the blue sky above. Nothing. No trace of spiky brown hair or big, yellow-boot clad feet. Where did he go?

"Sora?" I called out. Nothing but silence answered back. "Sora?! Anyone?"

I was in this world alone. Alone with frozen objects and people. What was a person to do in a situation like this one?

"Sasuke"

My eyes searched the area for signs of anything unfrozen. There was nothing. It was as still as ever, and if there was something there, it was nothing that was in plain sight. But, that who had that voice—the way they pronounced my name with such determination—was obvious.

"Sora, where are you?" I shouted.

I could hear him, but he wasn't here.

"I'm outside of the book. Donald and Goofy summoned me back. Stay there, it won't be long!"

He had been called out of the book by magic. He hadn't mentioned why they did it. Whether it was because Goofy had been paranoid when we left, or if it was for more important reasons, it was hard to tell. Hopefully it wasn't because of any Heartless. Though, if it was, I should have been called out, too.

Now, since he was gone out there, I was stuck in here until he came back to get me. Perfect. My body sat down on the log next to the frozen Pooh, and sighed. It was never my thing to just sit there waiting around. I was clueless. I could have been doing something to contribute to the situation. This was killing me.

That is, until everything began to shake.

It was like a huge earthquake had hit the Hundred Acre Wood. Vibrations shot around the world, making the bell hanging by Pooh's door ring, trees shake, and dirt fly around. It was chaotic. Of course, we had the occasional earthquake back on the islands, but it was never this bad. It made me fall off of the log and skin my elbow in the process. A hiss blew past my lips. Just when I thought things were bad enough.

"Sora, what's going on?!" I yelled out. This time, there was no answer. "Damn it!"

Was everyone okay out there? That seemed to be the only thought running through my mind at that moment. Was this earthquake a bad sign? I made sure to stay on that ground as I waited for the rough shaking to stop. They should have summoned me, too. I could have helped do something.

Minutes later, the ground stopped vibrating. I slowly climbed onto my feet, wobbling, and adjusting my hair—which had been knocked around in the blast. Everything around me was still frozen in time. In fact, it felt like the world was spinning. Either that or it felt like my head itself was spinning.

My hands reached up to clutch my head. Dizzy. That's how I felt all of the sudden. I squeezed my eyes shut in attempt to get everything back in focus. However, when I opened them again, the world was still spinning . . . though I was greeted with the sight of a concerned looking Sora walking over from the trail. I let out a sigh of relief. He was back.

"Are you okay?" he asked me when he got close enough. I slowly nodded. Other than my slightly skinned elbow and spinning vision, no harm had been done. "The Heartless attacked. They stole the book while we were fighting them off."

That explained why everything was shaking. It was because the book was being thrown around in a fight. I clutched my head. Things were starting to calm down. The spinning had been replaced with a slight sting.

"Is everything all right?" I asked.

"I should be asking you two that," he replied instantly.

He looked past me to see that Pooh was sitting the log thinking just like he was when we first came here. My eyes went wide. He was frozen just a few seconds ago. We look away for one minute, and he's completely back to normal—like nothing had changed at all.

Not noticing the shocked look on my face, Sora walked over to the bear, kneeling down to its height while I watched. His previous concerned expression had been traded for a warm smile. As long as his friend was happy, that made Sora happy. It brought a small smile to my face. It made the both of us almost completely ignore the attack that just happened.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Pooh," he told the yellow bear.

Pooh smiled up at the two of us. "And I'm glad you came to visit," he greeted. "But you see, I was just about to begin my stoutness exercises. Perhaps we could visit a bit later . . . People-I-Don't-Know."

I had never seen true heartbreak. However, it was right in front of me . . . the look in Sora's eyes. Pooh didn't remember him. Even from where I stood a bit behind him, I could feel had sad his heart was about it. And it was contagious. It made sense that Pooh didn't know who I was, but suddenly, I felt sad about it.

"Oh . . . sure . . ."

Sora stood up straight as Pooh jumped off of the log. I felt terrible. I felt even more terrible for my sadness for Sora being replaced by the adorableness of Pooh as he started doing stretches. He bent over to touch his toes, not caring that he was wobbling all over the place. If that wasn't cute, I didn't know what was.

"So . . . how's Piglet these days?" Sora attempted to make conversation.

"I don't think I know anyone by that name," Pooh said. Sora's face scrunched up in confusion. "Now where was I? Oh, yes. My stoutness exercises."

Sora crossed his lean arms over his chest. "Something very weird is happening here. Maybe I'd better go ask Merlin about this. C'mon, Sasuke. Time to go back."

I nodded. "Roger, Captain."

* * *

 **"COULDN'T BE BOTHERED** to wait up for an old wizard, eh?"

The blinding white light from traveling out of the book cleared away to reveal a disapproving Merlin. The tall, blue hat atop of his head was tilted, his gray eyebrows were pulled low, and his eyes were narrowed into slits at us. Donald stood beside him with his arms crossed over his chest. The two didn't exactly look like the happiest people right now. Then again, it was our fault.

A few more of the books had been knocked around the house; from the fight with the Heartless, I was guessing. There was a knocked over lamp in the corner of the room. One of the couches were shoved out of its original place against the wall. Goofy was over in the dinning room with a broom and dust pan, attempting to clean up most of the mess that they made.

Merlin had explained to us that he was going to go get Leon and the others before we had left into the Hundred Acre Wood. Now that we were out, there was still no sign of them. I chose not to ask about it. Maybe he forgot.

Sora looked down at his shoes sheepishly. It was the same expression he wore when he got caught snoozing off in class. The expression he wore when our middle school teacher slapped the ruler against hisdesk, and scared the daylights out of him. Things never changed.

"Sorry about that," he apologized.

"How are things in there?" Merlin asked. He waved us off with his hand to let us know that he wasn't truly upset.

Sora walked further into the living room to move the misplaced brown couch back into the right position. With a focused shove, it was sent back into its spot by the wall. He then sat down on it before putting his elbow on the arm rest, and resting his cheek against it.

My body sank down onto the matching loveseat, flinching when my skinned elbow came in contact with the leather. The soft hiss made Goofy look my way. I sent him a reassuring smile to let him know that I was fine.

"Well . . ." Sora started off, running a hand through his light brown hair. "Pooh seems to have forgotten all about me. And not just me—all his other friends, too."

He was right. Every fragment, every trace of relationships that he had built with anyone, appeared to have been wiped from the bear's memory. He didn't even remember the people that lived in his own world. Whatever was happening . . . I didn't know a thing about, but it was still something that worried me.

My fingers moved to absentmindedly trace shapes along the leather armrest; thoughts running wild in my head. At least, until someone tapped on my right shoulder. I glanced up to see Goofy offering me a sincere look with a band-aid in his hand. He must have noticed that I skinned my elbow inside of the book. Thanking him, I allowed him to unwrap it and place it over the wounded area.

"I suspect it has something to do with those pages the Heartless stole. You'll have to collect the torn pages and repair the book to put things right. This book is one of the world's most cherished elements. I'd been meaning to tell Leon I'd found it, but perhaps we should keep it between us for now," Merlin announced.

We nodded to show that we understood. The Hundred Acre Wood was in shambles right now. It's contents had been ripped from it during the fight. Poor Pooh. He's all alone and doesn't even know it.

Donald unfolded his arms with a thumbs up. "Thanks, Merlin. We'll be back once we've found all of the pages—"

"Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast!" Sora interrupted, standing up from his spot on the couch. "You promised that we can take a break here in Hollow Bastion for a day or two. C'mon, Donald, my face is still purple!"

"I don't recall." Donald frowned.

"We do," Goofy and I said in unison. Sora shot us an appreciative smile. We had his back. At least, until his bruises from his fist fight went away.

Donald let out a heavy sigh. "All right, all right, fine. Merlin, do you think it would be okay if the four of us stayed here for a bit?"

"Of course. This is the Hollow Bastian Restoration Committee house after all. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like, whenever you like." The wizard beamed, his eyes shifting to the starcase right beside the dinning room entrance. "In fact, there's an extra room upstairs. Donald, Sora, Goofy, you three can stay in there. Sasuke, you can room with Aerith and Yuffie."

"Thanks."

"Thank you."

"Thanks!"

"Did you say Yuffie?"

Four pairs of eyes glanced over at me in confusion. Sharing a bedroom with Yuffie? I didn't know how Aerith managed to do it this whole time. The only outcome that came to my mind was being pranked while I slept, loud jokes, and sleepless nights. Not that I really minded. But we were staying in Hollow Bastian for the next two days to catch up on some rest. Sharing a room with Yuffie was guaranteed to make that not happen.

"Sounds great," I lied. "Thanks, Merlin."

I loved Yuffie—I truly did—but I could only hope that Aerith could calm her down once it was time for me to catch up on some sleep. Or Leon. Or Cid. Probably none of them could, honestly . . .

"You guys are very welcome. There's a bed and a set of bunk beds in the empty room upstairs. There's an empty bottom bunk in Aerith and Yuffie's room. Help yourselves."

"Who wants ice cream?"

I perked up a bit at the mention of ice cream. It was Goofy who had suggested it, a giant smile plastered onto his adorable face. And I clearly wasn't the only one who approved of that idea. Sora's hand shot up and he repeatedly announced that he wanted ice cream, too. It made me giggle. Did it get anymore childish than that?

We knew what we were going to do: get ice cream at the little shop in the market district.

Goofy was the first to walk out of the door. We followed after him, promising we'd return back before it got too dark. We were still young after all—Merlin thought it was appropriate to give us a curfew for some reason. I wanted to protest, but it was hard to. It reminded me of back when things were simpler on the island.

Parents giving curfews. At the time it seemed like such a pain, but now I was just wishing there were parents around to give us one. A gentle smile pulled at my lips. Merlin would have to do for now.

Hollow Bastion wasn't all too busy today. A few of the people that lived next door to the house looked a bit shaken up from the Heartless attack only minutes ago. Other than that, everything was normal. People were returning home after a moment of grocery shopping in the market district. Fathers were coming home to their wives and children after a hard day of work. Kids were chasing around their pets while their mothers prepared lunch.

It was crazy to think that only moments ago, the cobblestone streets had been filled with twitching Heartless. The community must have grown used to the interruption. My lips pulled low into a frown. They shouldn't have to be used to dangerous creatures running around the place that they called home.

The market district was only a few blocks away from Merlin's house. Like the rest of the town, the buildings had been shabbily repaired to accomidate to the slowly growing population. Machanical gears and pipes littered the area, though the flowers that they had planted helped take away from the . . . masculine-feel of it all.

Donald stepped past a lady holding onto her child's hand. The child shot him a smile, which he hesitantly returned when he realized that it was for him. The poor duck wasn't so good with kids, as I recall him once saying. Sora and I were the youngest that he's ever really put up with—sad to say because we were nearly young adults. Goofy opened his mouth to say something encouraging no doubt, but was cut short by a loud screech.

"UNCA DONALD?! IS THAT YOU?"

"Oh, boy . . ." Donald ran a hand down his obviously worn out face.

I had met his nephews before. They used to run the old items shop in Traverse Town. And of course, I should be one of the last ones to talk about growth spurts. But this, this was completely unexpected. Three once small, little ducks waved us over from behind the counter of the ice cream shop. Huey was the first one I noticed, him having almost fallen off the counter by how far he was leaning across to wave.

Sora let out a soft chuckle. "Looks like they missed their uncle, don't ya think?"

"Yeah." Donald reluctantly agreed with the brunet, causing him to smile. "A bit too much if you ask me."

"It's cute."

The older duck shot me a side glance for my comment. "Just wait."

And he was right. The closer we got, the more frantic the triplets grew. No longer were they wearing matching baseball caps. Huey, whom was once attrached to his hat like it was apart of him, stood with his growing white feathers slicked back in a sleek hairstyle. Dewey's bangs were hanging in his eyes shaggily. However, the green baseball cap still sat on top of Louie's head, just turned backwards instead of forwards now. Talk about changing . . .

Dewey and Louie stepped out from behind the counter to throw their arms around Donald. Letting out a round of yells, Donald attempted to squeeze out of their grasp. It didn't work. If anything, it made the two boys hug him tighter.

"Let me go!"

"But we missed ya, unca Donald!"

"I understand that, but you're crushing my spine!"

"Aww . . . Just a little longer?"

"NO!"

The scene made me almost laugh. It was clear that Donald held some soft affection for his nephews, which was a rare sight in itself. He never really acted like this (though he has in the few moments where we mentioned Daisy).

I stepped over to the little ice cream shop. Doodles of cute, little ice cream cones and sprinkles littered the menu hanging on the wall. Machines working the frozen treats lined up against the wall as if almost on display. My attention flickered over to the menu hanging behind Huey:

 **TODAY'S SPECIAL IS SEA SALT ICE CREAM! COME TRY ONE, YA WON'T REGRET IT!**

"Heya, Huey. Long time no see." I smiled at the younger duck adorned in a red outfit. "How's it going?"

He ran a hand through his already slicked back hair with a sigh. "Pretty good, I guess. We're saving up to go on an adventure like you, Goofy, Sora, and unca Donald, so we've been working here for a while. It's not too bad, but having to watch your two brothers while selling ice cream is a lot sometimes."

One glance at Dewey and Louie, who were still latching onto Donald, and I knew what he was talking about. It was safe to guess that Huey was the eldest triple, though I could have been wrong. Who knew? It was hard to tell them apart let alone find out who the oldest was. If it weren't for the vibrant colours that they constantly wore, I was pretty sure that all of them would have just been called 'Louie' by everyone.

Sora leaned his frame against the shop counter, crossing his arms over his chest. His gaze roamed over the clouds floating across the crystal blue sky before falling onto the menu. Goofy walked over, too, saying a warm greeting to Huey. Dewey and Louie, however, didn't seem to want to let their uncle go. They continue to scream and Donald continued to whail.

Huey jumped up to sit at the counter, that being the only way he could be Sora's height. "So, where've you guys been? We haven't heard from you in a long time. What brings you to Hollow Bastion?"

"Here . . . there . . . everywhere." It was Goofy who had answered. "We'll be here for a few days. We need a break from bouncing world to world."

"Look at my face." Sora motioned to his bruised lip, causing me to giggle.

Huey flinched the tiniest bit in order for it to not seem obvious. Sora was using his bruised up face as an ongoing joke, shedding light on the dark subject of him getting in a fist fight. We knew he wasn't really upset about it.

"Well, to show that we're thankful for you guys fighting out there, and because we're glad to see you again, how's about ice cream on the house?"

The three of us perked up at the mention of free ice cream. All that we seemed to buy these days were items to aid us in battle. Getting a luxury such as the sugary treat seemed so . . . foreign. We nodded to show that we did want whatever we could get, making the younger duck laugh. Free was the best price, as they always say.

He motioned to the sign adorning crazily-named flavours and drawings of sprinkles. "So, what'll it be guys? Take your pick."

Sora glanced over the menu. Back on the islands, he would always get vanilla ice cream and top it off with bucket loads of cookies and sprinkles. Maybe it was part of the reason why he was so hyper back then. But, he shocked us all by running a hand over his chin, and nodding to drawing of blue popsicles: today's special. My eyebrows raised the slightest bit. That was unexpected.

"I'll take whatever he's getting," Donald announced, struggling to march over while his nephews clung onto his ankles. "Will you two cut it out?!"

Familiarity. That was all that came to mind. It had been a long time since we had calmed down like this. Granted it was only a few days ago when we had woken up from our death naps for whatever reason, but it was nothing compared to this. The people we've become friends with, the hearts that we now carried within ours, this was what true relaxation was. We were finally comfortable in the calm presence of each other. A small smile crossed my face as the four of us happily accepted our free ice creams. It reminded me of home.

I had never brought up the fact that I was feeling homesick, clinging onto each world as if I was begging to belong there. I had never brought up the empty feeling in my chest whenever we left a new world. It didn't seem important, especially in times like this where I felt like I . . . belonged here. Hollow Bastion was not Destiny Islands, but it was damn sure good enough. For now, at least.

And it was beautiful. The gray, gold, and purple colour scheme fit with the mechanical design of the world. The sky was always bright blue with not a single cloud in sight; it felt like spring every day. The air smelled of blooming flowers. It was no wonder the Hollow Bastian Restoration Committee was so adamant on fixing their home. This place deserved to be at its full potential, and I couldn't wait to see it.

We walked around the cobblestone streets, munching on our free treats. Goofy was trying his hardest to not make a mess all while Sora laughed. Donald was carrying two, both presents from Huey as a way to apologize for his brothers. Halfway down one of the streets, he had offered the second one to Sora, who hadn't wasted any time in splitting it with Goofy. I wanted to smile. They all looked so happy and at peace for once. Of course, there was still fighting to be done, and Heartless to be beat, but for now . . it was okay. I just hoped that Goofy, Sora, and Donald knew that.

I took a lick of the ice cream. Because it was a pale teal, I was sort of expecting for it to be very sweet. It wasn't. It was salty with a sugary aftertaste. Boy, Sora sure did know how to pick them, didn't he?

There was a bed of flowers aligned against a fountain in one of the districts. I had lost count during our roaming. My eyes scanned over the crystal clear water, and the ripples it made whenever water shot out of the fountain.

"It's pretty, right?" Goofy suddenly spoke up. "Are you enjoying yourself there, Sasuke?"

* * *

 _ **"ARE YOU ENJOYING** yourself there, Sasuke?"_

 _The little girl couldn't help but to nod her head. It was a beautiful day, after all. The sun shone bright in the sky; there wasn't even a cloud in sight. The breeze blew around the scent of freshly planted flowers. Especially the pretty new daisies that the queen had gotten installed around town for her daughter. The city was bustling with activity, too. Shops sold their items to customers with grins on their faces. Right now, life seemed like it couldn't get any better. At least, to her it couldn't._

 _Her tongue darted out to lick at the ice cream that her friend had bought her. She wasn't even supposed to be out today. Her father insisted that she stayed inside for further examination later. But, her friends, the three that appeared to care about her as much as she did them, weren't having it. They had snuck her out with promises of candy, ice cream, and a change of scenery. And, boy, was she glad that they did._

 _The blue-haired boy kept a strong grip on her hand as they walked throughout the streets. The three said she was prone to running away. Not that she did it on purpose. It was more like the adventurous side of her, always looking for new things to find and explore. The ice cream was keeping her occupied, though . . . for now._

 _"Good." The girl who had asked the question—the one with the long, black hair in a ponytail_ — _smiled, walking hand-in-hand with the boy next to her. "The old man hasn't let you have ice cream in a while. I figured you'd be happy about that."_

 _The little girl opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she heard the sound of wood dropping against the cobblestone ground. Her silvery eyes went wise, searching for any sign of a new adventure. There was none. Instead, a wooden sword-shaped weapon laid discarded on the ground. Nothing too exciting. Letting out a sigh, she continued to eat her ice cream._

 _Her red-haired friend was the first to pick it up. She watched in silence as he held the wooden weapon in his calloused hand, letting go of the black-haired girl, clearly not caring where it came from or how it landed in front of him . . . Before he turned his head to the left._

 _A kid, probably no older than sixteen, sat with his back leaning against the garden wall. His blond hair was spiked, his blue eyes hung low, and his tannish skin was littered with bruises. To her, he almost looked . . . lost. Like he didn't belong there. It was apparent in the way that he looked up at her. The slightly saddened undertone in his sky blue irises; she noticed it. And she held his stare, trying to figure out what could have caused this boy so much stress, until he turned away to look at her friend._

 _"This yours?" he asked the blond._

 _"Lea . . ." The blue-haired boy's grip on her hand faltered a bit as he glared at the redhead. "We don't have time for this."_

 _The boy_ — _Lea_ — _waved the boy off. "Lighten up, Isa. It'll only take a sec."_

 _"Lea . . ." The black-haired girl sighed._

 _The little girl_ — _Sasuke_ — _knew Lea well enough. He'd been in her life for as long as she could remember. And for however long that's been, he's been the same way: one to never back down from a taste of adrenaline. That's what her father called it, at least. The stuff inside your body that made people do reckless things. Yeah, he definitely had a lot of that._

 _He walked over to the blond with a smirk on his face. His green eyes searched his blue ones as if he was looking for something. She didn't know what. And she wasn't going to ask, either. Rather, she continued to eat her now melting ice cream._

 _"You still play with toy swords? That's cute. Now, this right here . . ." He tossed the kid his sword before pulling out his own weapon. It was those black and red chakrams that he so "conviently" had that money to buy. "Tada! What do you think?"_

 _The blond shrugged his broad shoulders. "Not a whole lot."_

 _"Booooooo!" the black-haired girl added in with a laugh._

 _Lea's red eyebrows pulled low when her comment had made the blond crack a small smile. Even Sasuke found herself giggling at the situation. He shot her a look, and she innocently smiled._

 _"C'mon, Sasuke, you're laughing at me, too? I thought you were supposed to be on my side!" He groaned. "You guys are just jealous."_

 _"I'm Marcella," the black-haired girl introduced. "That's Isa, Sasuke, and_ — _"_

 _"I'm Lea. Got it memorized?"_

 _He was quick to interrupt her, earning himself a punch on the arm._

 _Sasuke took a few steps toward the blond. Even after all this, she still couldn't find a reason why he would be so down. It was a great day. There were great people in this world. The ice cream was half priced today. What could be so draining?_

 _Isa let go of her hand when she struggled to get out of his grip. Holding a small hand out to the blond, she flashed him a smile. Usually, she'd be self-conscious about meeting new people, but she was more interested in making this kid feel better. Plus, he seemed nice, anyways._

 _"What's your name?" she asked softly._

 _"******," he answered, his hand reaching out to shake hers. She didn't care that his hand was literally twice the size of hers, or that she was nervous. She cared about the ghost of a grin pulling at the corner of his lips. "Nice to meet you, Sasuke."_

 _The handshake didn't last long. Lea scooted her out of the way so that he would be the one standing in front of the new boy. She didn't object. She just watched as Isa grabbed onto her hand again._

 _"Okay, ******. Let's fight!"_

 _"Fight? Why would I wanna do that?"_

 _"You scared of losing? C'mon," Lea teased as the blond slowly stood to his feet. "Now we're talkin'!"_

 _The blond gripped onto his wooden sword. "You're gonna be sorry."_

 _Marcella and Isa rolled their eyes. Suddenly, two hands were at either side of her waist, and she was being picked up. The blue-haired boy had made sure to pick her up so that she wouldn't get in the way. It was smart thinking. She wasn't all too sure she could run fast enough if Lea had accidentally charged at her._

 _So she sat there, watching the fight from the sidelines. She was never one to be interested in the game of battling like her friends had. In fact, her father was adamant on her not. But this, this whole fighting thing that they were doing . . . was interesting. It was like watching a dance. Then, it clicked._

 _No wonder the boys spent their time training. They were always busy, and now she knew why. They were doing this. And, at this moment, she couldn't blame them. It looked pretty cool._

 _Lea fell onto his butt after five hits. His chest was heaving up and down like he had gotten the wind knocked out of him. Tiny beads of sweat were beginning to form at his crimson hairline. As if noticing it, too, his tanned hand reached up to wipe them away._

 _"You . . . had enough? 'Cause I'm willing to . . . call it a draw if you are . . ."_

 _"Huh?" The blond let out a chuckle. "Right . . ."_

 _Isa placed Sasuke back onto her feet with a shake of his head. "From where I stood, the only thing you drew was a big L on your forehead for "loser," "lame," "laughable_ — _"_

 _"Wha_ — _" Lea turned his head to look at him with wide, green eyes. "Isn't this the part where ya . . . cheer me up or somethin'? You're just having a bad day, or that's what you get for pullin' your punches. Some friend . . ."_

 _Isa raised a blue eyebrow. "Oh, so you mean I was supposed to lie."_

 _"Ya see what I gotta put up with?"_

 _"Oh, calm down, Lea." It was Marcella who had spoke this time. She sent him a small smile, her hand moving to form a thumbs up. "You did pretty good."_

 _"Thanks, babe_ — _"_

 _"Pretty good for someone who moves as slow as you do."_

 _"Now you've got her doing it, too?" Lea collapsed onto the ground with his hands behind his head. "Gee, thanks. Isa. You're the bestest friend in the whole world! Sure hope you don't have friends like him, ******."_

 _The blond just laughed. Whatever they said, it must have made him happy. That was good. As long as he didn't look sad anymore, Sasuke didn't have to worry about him. Especially since it was such an amazing day._

 _"Guys, we have to go." Isa sighed._

 _Nodding, Lea stood up, taking a hold of the four-year-old's hand this time. It was about time that they left. Her father would be back any minute now. If they weren't back before he was, there was no way he was going to let them babysit her again._

 _"You guys have to leave already?" the blond asked._

 _Lea flashed him a smirk. "We'll see ya when we see ya. After all, we're friends now. Get it memorized."_

 _"Okay, Lea."_

 _With a last wave to the boy, they started their walk again. Sasuke tossed the stick of her ice cream in the trash seeing as there was nothing left. It was long gone . . . just like her freedom. And maybe she was being over dramatic. Her home really wasn't all too bad. It was just that she preferred to be outside exploring with her only friends._

 _She glanced behind him to see the blond watching them leave in silence. Though the sadness still remained in those blue eyes, he seemed happier. A lot happier in fact. She liked to think that it was because of them. Whether it was the truth or a lie her mind had made up, it definitely made her feel better. Raising a tiny hand, she sent the boy a final wave. He returned it was a smile. And, with that, they parted ways, off to discover the world at their own pace._

 _"What is it with you picking up stray puppies?" Isa asked after a few minutes of silence._

 _Lea simply chuckled. "I want everybody I meet to remember me. Inside people's memories, I can live forever. You aren't going to forget me, right, Short Stuff?"_

 _Sasuke shook her head. Forget Lea? No way._

 _"I know I won't forget you," Isa reassured. "Believe me, I try all the time."_

 _"See? I'm immortal." Lea laughed._

 _"You're obnoxious."_

 _"Hey!"_

* * *

 **"VEN** **—"**

"Sasuke?"

My words were cut short, interrupted by the sound of Donald calling my name. My eyes blinked shut a few times in attempt to clear my head. Things were foggy, in my head at least, for whatever reason. There was a slight pounding in the back of my skull. With a wince, my hand reached up as if rubbing the spot would aliviate the pain. It didn't.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were a few steps ahead. They were looking back at me with confusion and concern on their faces. I pinched the bridge of my nose, the flowery breeze suddenly becoming too much to bare, and looking at the gray brick wall of the garden. I tried not to question the little thoughts that seemed to play in my mind like old movies whenever I was in Hollow Bastion. They were way too bizzare. But this . . . it felt too vivid . . . and it was giving me a headache.

Goofy stepped over to me with a comforting smile. "Who's Ven?"

"I . . . don't know." _The more I thought about it, the more my head was pounding._

"Well, we found a spot to hang out at while we finish our ice creams? Are you coming?"

I nodded my head before following behind the large dog. Sora and Donald started walking ahead, too, having a full blown conversation about how sea salt ice cream was better than chocolate ice cream.

Should I have brought up my reacurring flashbacks? What could they do about it? They couldn't have been memories since I spent most of my life on the sandy beaches of Destiny Islands. The flashbacks could have just been my active imagination, making up stories randomly. But, at the same time, it felt too real, too factual to not have happened. And if that was true, who the hell were Isa, Lea, and Yuuki? I knew no one with those names.

The spot that they picked out was on the bridge overlooking all districts of Hollow Bastion. Sora climbed up to sit on the ledge, his legs dangling over the side as he shoved his ice cream into his mouth. I quickly did the same, sitting between him and Goofy. Donald sat on the other side of him, mumbling about something that I couldn't understand. And, that was all it took for me to stop overthinking things. The now. Right now, I was with my friends, and questioning my thoughts could be done at a later date. Maybe I'd even ask Aerith about it.

The sun was beginning to disappear into the horizon. Swirls of purple, pinks, blue, and oranges littered the once bright blue sky. Seemingly purple clouds were starting to spread in the distance. It was a pretty sight to see all of the vibrant colours shining down on the town. However, along with the change in the sky, the breeze was starting to pick up as well. The flowers and plants rustled from the picking up wind. We were going to have to head back to the house soon.

Sora's blue eyes gazed over were building that the world had to offer. He looked content, his hand firmly wrapped around the stick of his popsicle. Then, his brows pulled low, and he looked down at his arms. His short-sleeved jacket was doing little to protect him from the wind. Goose bumps were prickling at his tanned skin and causing his little blond arm hairs to stand on end. He was getting cold. It was good to know that I wasn't the only one.

"So . . . what were the islands like? You know, when you guys were growing up?"

We looked at Donald in shook at his sudden question. We never really told them much about our islands, only that it was always warm and we had friends there. What made him want to ask now? As if sensing our questioning, the duck finished off his ice cream with a shrug of his shoulders. He was only curious.

"Well . . ." Sora took another bite of his treat before glancing back at the horizon. "It was great. The people there were always happy, there were palm trees everywhere, flowers on every corner, and surfing was a competitive sport."

Goofy nodded, trying to imagine being raised on a beach. "What about your friends? What were they like? And your parents?"

"I don't have any parents," I said before Sora had the chance to say anything. Three pairs of wide eyes fell on me. "Riku and Sora's parents were like parents to me, though. I came to the islands when I was only six. Nobody knew how I got there . . . Sora and Riku just . . . found me on the beach one day. No one knew what to do with me, so the mayor made an agreement with the citizens to get me an apartment . . . a place to stay. I was alone until—"

"The three of us became friends," Sora cut in with a smile. "The random girl we found on the beach. My mom always did love you to death, you know."

I wanted to laugh. "Not as much as Riku's mom. That lady was always trying to shove me into some kind of dress. "The daughter I always wanted and never got," she'd say."

Donald's eyebrows pulled low as he tossed the popsicle stick into the trashcan a bit behind us. "So you guys have known each other since you were six-years-old?"

"Yup."

"Where did you come from before the islands, Sasuke?"

My faint smile faltered. It was a good question, one that Sora, Kairi, Riku, and I have been trying to find the answer to for almost nine years. Where was Sasuke's real home? It was something that everyone wanted to know. But, after all this, I considered Destiny Islands as my real home. It was where I grew, where I learned, where I played, where I had met my best friends. Destiny Islands were my islands, even if I hadn't been more a native.

I tossed the rest of my popsicle into the trashcan. "Who knows? I don't remember."

"One day you will," Goofy offered with a reassuring grin.

 _Yeah, hopefully. But, even if I don't, I don't think it would bother me as much anymore._

"We should start heading back. It's getting cold."

Donald was right. The sun had began to sink deeper and deeper into the horizon. The once colourful and vibrant sky was turning dark with shades of midnight blue. I stood up, glancing at the sunset. Maybe this break was exactly what we've needed all along.

* * *

 **MERLIN'S HOUSE WAS** almost always unoccupied during the day time. Everyone was out doing patrols for the Restoration Committee and helping build new districts for the ever-growing population. However, when the sun started to go down, everyone in town seemed to head inside. The same could be said for everyone who lived in the quaint, two-story house. We could already tell everyone was home by the yellow-y white haze of lamps being turned on inside. The door was also closed—something that rarely happened in itself.

Goofy pulled the door open for us, moving out of the way so that we could enter ahead of him. Almost instantly, the sounds of clanking pots and pans, laughter, and conversations could be heard. Everyone was home alright . . . even some people that didn't even live here.

Cid was seated at the giant computer, going over all of the security details before they closed down for the night. Aerith sat on the couch, a book in hand, giggling at the continuous jokes that Yuffie was telling. Leon stood by the stairs doing that infamous "bridge of nose grab" that he was known for. From beyond the dining room, I could see a woman preparing dinner, though I didn't recognize who it was. She was scolding Merlin as he rummaged through the refrigerator. _Dinner is already being made_ _,_ she kept saying, _couldn't you wait a little longer?_

Yuffie's head perked up when she heard us walk through the front door. Her dark eyes stared into my silver ones for a moment before a smile crossed onto her face. With a shriek, she stood up, threw her hands in the air, and welcomed us. The four of us shared a confused look. Had they not known about us staring here for the next couple days?

"You guys are back!" She said in her usual happy tone. "Couldn't stay away from Hollow Bastion for long, eh? What brings you here . . . at night?"

Sora sheepishly scratched his head full of spikes. "We're staying here for a mini vacation."

Aerith, Cid, Yuffie, and even Leon looked at us with wide eyes. And I understood why. The four of us were never sitting still. Last year, the only time we stopped to visit them in Traverse Town was when we needed to stock up on items. There were no breaks, no stops, just constant fighting. But now, here we were, telling them that we were going to be staying with them, and I've honestly never seen Leon look more shocked.

I sat down on the couch that Aerith was seated on. The day had tired me out more than usual, and we had barely done anything. As if on cue, a yawn blew past my lips. Outside of the window, I could see the streetlights turning on, and stars fitting across the dark sky. Very few people were out, but those who were, were on their way home. They must have been tired, too, I figured. I couldn't have been the only one.

"Looks like we've got more help 'round here," Cid mused, turning the chair away from the computer. "You four up to go patrolling with us tomorrow?"

Sora, one to never back down from helping people in need, nodded. "Of course. Just say when."

"I knew there was a reason I liked ya, kid."

Cid stood up at the same time that the woman emerged from the kitchen. She was wearing a white lab coat—or a chef jacket of some sort—along with a very casual outfit. Round-framed glasses sat in front of her hazel eyes. Her hair, an auburn brown colour, was pulled back into a ponytail with her side bangs hanging free. She was beautiful to say the least. And she was taller than me, which was no surprise. Everyone seemed to be getting taller than me.

The woman sent all of us a caring smile. "Dinner is ready."

"Yeah!" Yuffie was the first to jump up.

Would it have been rude if I asked who she was? She was the only one here who I did not know. Instead of asking, I kept my mouth shut as we followed everyone into the dinning room. Different plates of food sat on the long table . . . familiar food. My jaw went slack, and from the look of it, so did Sora's. The only difference was that his seemed to be watering. What was all of this?

"I'm sorry. I never got the chance to introduce myself. I'm Shera, Cid's wife. You guys must be Donald, Sora, Goofy, and Sasuke," the woman greeted. "I've heard about you guys. Merlin told me that you were coming to stay for a while, and that two of you grew up on an island, so I thought I'd come over to make dinner for you. I know you must miss the food they have out there."

Servings of rice, kebabs, mangos, pineapples, seafood, and other tropical dishes were scattered along the table. It looked . . . like something Riku's mother would make on Saturday nights when she invited everyone over. Sora must have been thinking the same thing because he swallowed a lump forming in his throat.

The house was quiet. The only activity taking place was everyone staring at us, and us staring at the food. Shera went all out with this. It was almost scary how accurate these dishes were.

I couldn't help but to whisper, "Is that . . . coconut rice?"

"I love grilled pineapples." Sora moaned out. "This is awesome. She even got the mangos."

At that, everyone laughed. They were trying to make us feel more at home. The two of us had grew up eating this food, and it felt strange to see it all spread out in front of us again. I had so much gratitude for that. It had been a year since we sat down at Riku's house, his father and Sora's debating about blitzball, Sora, Riku, Kairi, and I scarfing down bowls of rice, and Sora's mother complaining about how the boys had no manners. It caused a pit to form in my stomach. This was as close to the island as we were going to get for a long while.

After washing our hands, we all sat down at the table. Deja vu—it felt so familiar to see everyone passing around food to each other. Occasionally, Yuffie would snap at Sora for stealing more pineapples than she thought he could eat. Cid was trying to get more seafood before Donald had the chance to steal it all. It all brought a smile to my face. There was so much laughter and commotion, all over the traditional food of Destiny Islands. Even Leon and Sora arguing over the last kebab reminded me of him and Riku when we were younger.

Aerith passed me the plate full of mango chunks, but Sora took it away before I had a chance to grab it. "She's allergic—I'll take 'em."

"You remember that?" I asked in shock.

He simply nodded with a goofy grin, happy about all of the food that he was getting on his plate. It was beyond me how he remembered my allergy. The only one who remembered was his mother, and that was because she was the one to discover that I was allergic to the tropical fruit. I watched as spooned a few more pieces onto his already full plate before passing it to Cid. Maybe Sora paid a lot more attention than he let on.

"So, how old are you two?" Shera asked after everyone had gotten their food.

I answered since Sora was inhaling a piece of fish. "We're almost sixteen."

"The youngest in this house," Yuffie added in with a smirk.

I shot her a glare. She was seventeen, making her a year or so older than us. But, if we were talking mentally, we should have been older than her by at least a couple of months. She didn't care, though. She just continued to eat her food in victory.

"I never knew Cid was married," Donald quacked.

"You never asked." Was Cid's smart-mouthed response.

Sora chuckled. He was clearly enjoying the food judging by how much of it he had taken for himself. Everyone had moderate sized plates. Then, there was him, eating a three-course meal, and still picking pineapples off of my plate every now and then. _Sora, do you honestly need all that food? Save some for your father,_ I could hear his mother's smooth voice scolding him. She'd pull her light brown hair back into a ponytail, blue eyes moving into a disapproving squint, and she'd say, _C'mon, Sora, you're eating like such a pig! You, too, Riku!_

It didn't take long for everyone to finish. Aerith collected the empty plates from the table, taking them to the kitchen sink to be washed. If there was any food left, Sora and Cid were making it their mission to finish it off. Within minutes, everyone was up, preparing to retreat into their separate areas of the house.

"I'll do the dishes," I volunteered.

Shera had made the food for us. It was only fair that she wasn't the one to have to clean it up. She sent me an appreciative smile. Cid stretched his strong arms above his head with a satisfied yawn. If anyone had enjoyed the food the most, he was definitely one of them. If fact, it seemed like the taller, more active guys ate the most it seemed.

With a round of goodbye's, Cid and Shera left for the night, promising to stop by in the morning to check on everyone. Yuffie mumbled something along the lines of her not needing to be checked up on. It didn't matter, they were still going to come. And that was when I realized that Cid and Shera had made it their job to keep an eye over everyone. Leon was only eighteen when I thought about it. Aerith was twenty-three, though I doubted she could contain everyone by herself. They were like . . . one big, happy family.

I got to work on the dishes as the married couple left to go home. Donald volunteered himself to clean any mess that was made around the house. Since the two of us were cleaning, they saw no need to stick around. Merlin left to his "chamber" in the basement to do things I didn't even want to know about. Leon retreated up the stairs, sighing about how he needed a hot shower. Aerith and Yuffie left, too, saying they were going to make space in their shared bedroom for me to stay. Sora and Goofy went upstairs to sort out their now-shared empty bedroom, only after making sure that Donald and I didn't want any help. Then, it was silence, the only sound coming from the crickets outside of the opened window, and our cleaning.

Happiness. That's what I felt. It felt strange to feel happiness after everything that has happened. And of course, I haven't been sad this whole time, but it has felt like something was missing. Like a genuine piece of what kept me grounded was gone. But now, that feeling was gone, and I no longer felt like I was clinging onto each world, looking for a place to belong. There were friends, loved ones here that cared about me as much as I cared about them. That alone was enough to make the feeling go away.

It seemed like I was thinking more and more these days. At first, I saw leaving home as an adventure with my best friend. Now, I could easily say that I didn't think the same. Though I wanted to stay surrounded by my new friends, I wanted to go belong somewhere, too.

The dishes clanked in the sink as I scrubbed them. Donald worked faster than me; he was almost done cleaning. Probably because I spent my downtime lost in my own head.

My eyes glanced out of the window. The moon was now high in the sky. Stars shined light down on the world as if the streetlights weren't doing a well enough job. Everyone was at home with their families getting ready to settle down for the night. And for some strange reason . . . it felt . . . good.

"Watch out, Sora!" I could hear Goofy shout from upstairs before there was a loud thud. "Gawrsh, are you okay?"

I wanted to laugh. Instead, I opted to do something that my gut has been telling me ever since we came. With one last smile, I stared up into the star-filled sky, and uttered one word that didn't make sense here, but felt so right.

 _"Home."_

* * *

 **Hey, guys! Sorry it's been way too long since I've updated. Life's been really crazy, and it's been hard for me to write again. It was like a permanent writer's block that wouldn't go away no matter how inspired I was feeling. But, I feel better now.**

 **~ Insane**


	16. The Glue Keeping My Pieces Together

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: THE GLUE KEEPING MY PIECES TOGETHER**

 **SASUKE**

 **"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."  
** — **Unknown**

* * *

 **"STOP BEING SUCH** a crybaby! It can't hurt that bad."

This particular bathroom in the Hollow Bastian Restoration Committee house happened to be one of the smallest. Most of it was occupied by a giant shower, a toilet, a sink, and even then it wasn't too much room to do anything else in. Usually that wouldn't be a problem—it was just a bathroom—but now, I was wishing that we had chosen to do this in the bathroom downstairs. That one had enough room to not be considered a coat closet.

Sora was seated on the gray counter, his back facing the mirror hanging on the wall. He hadn't had the chance to get dressed yet—his torso bare, his silver crown chain clanking against his chest, a pair of red shorts clinging to his hips, and his bare feet swinging. Water occasionally dripped onto his face from his wet hair. Not that he had cared about it. Every time it did, he would wipe it away using the bath towel that was thrown around his neck. I thought it was funny; his hair wasn't in its usual spikes, but sticking to his head and neck as if it had been done purposely.

I shouldn't have been one to talk. My hair was tied up in a sorry excuse of a bun, and I was wearing a set of Aerith's pink pyjamas. It wasn't my colour at all, but it was better than sleeping in my clothes. He had managed to look so energetic in the morning. The same couldn't have been said for me, my eyes droopy from having woken up about an hour ago.

Sora's shuddering body squirmed out of the way every time I reached out to him. His blue eyes were squeezed shut so tightly that his damped face was starting to turn red. His full bottom lip was sucked into his mouth in hopes that I'd give up on him. It was the definition of being dramatic. It was too early in the morning for him to be acting like a five-year-old, especially when he had done this to himself.

When everyone disappeared into their rooms last night to get ready for bed, he and Goofy were trying to move a shelf in their room. The wooden shelf ended up falling while I was doing the dishes. The corner of it had clipped Sora on the way down and banged up his already-bruised lip and chin. None of us realized how bad it was until we all woke up to see dried blood on his wounds. He didn't even notice it.

He was getting hurt a lot lately, always in need of medical attention, and he always ran away when it came time for me to bandage him up.

"I'm not being a crybaby." He groaned as my hand reached out for him once more. "It hurts when you touch it is all."

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't hurt as bad as when you got beat up by a bookshelf."

" _Ha ha_."

I took a hold of his chin so that he couldn't move anymore. He had been shying away from getting his wound cleaned for the past five minutes now. It was getting repetitive and tiring. With a defeated sigh, he slumped his shoulders a bit, but allowed me to grab him and clean his cut. Though, as soon as I pressed the alcohol-soaked washcloth to his face, he flinched, howling about how it burned. His cut had gotten dirty overnight and he wasn't going to let me clean it anytime soon. This was a bad situation.

An irritated groan pushed past my lips. "Sora! You can't just run every time I touch you. What are you going to do if you get an infection?"

"I'm trying!" he said. "Just . . . give me a minute, Sasuke. I'm trying."

I sighed but smiled a bit, looking up into those big, blue, _trying_ eyes. He returned the smile as his hand reached up to scratch at his wet hair. He had just gotten out of the shower-hence the towel swung around his neck. Getting used to this whole "relaxation" thing was easy for him, which was probably why he didn't want to go through with this.

It had been easier to sleep here than I thought it would be. I was so used to slumping in the seat of the Gummi Ship with Sora that I figured a normal bed would be too different.

By the time the dishes were washed, dried, and put away, Yuffie was long since passed out with a full stomach. Aerith had set up the bottom bunk for me. Apparently, it was where they stored their extra items and weapons since it wasn't being used as a bed. I couldn't have been more thankful. None of them had to let us stay here. They wanted to do it out of the sheer kindness of their hearts. It couldn't get any better than that.

The morning came slowly but surely. Birds were chirping outside as the sun peeked out from behind the horizon. That, the smell of coffee, and Sora taking a shower had woke me up. And honestly, it had been one of the best sleeps that I'd gotten in a long while.

His teeth pulled his bottom lip in to suck on it again. Him constantly biting on it wasn't helping with the healing process. It was making it larger and even more swollen. Reaching for his chin again, I used my thumb to pull his lip out. He pouted, but gave in nonetheless. He was giving up. After over nine attempts at doing this, he was finally letting me do what I had to do. Hopefully, at least, because there was no telling if this was another act of bravery before he went back to being scared.

My hand pressed the soaked towel against his cut. He sucked in a sharp breath as soon as it came in contact. His eyes squeezed closed as his eyebrows pulled low. His jawline tensed at the sudden burning. I knew the feeling wasn't the most comfortable, but it was necessary. It made me feel bad to see him in pain—even if it was the dramatic show that he was putting on now. Though, he needed this if he wanted to make sure his little cut didn't turn into something bigger.

One eye slowly opened at first. He was watching me . . . watching as I cleaned out his wound. Then, he pried open both eyes, and sighed, causing his minty breath to blow over my face. The red in his face from working himself up was starting to fade. Most of the wound was cleaned now, too. There shouldn't have been any excessive burning from this point on.

I had moved on to cleaning the cut on his lip when a sudden knock sounded throughout the small bathroom. We shared a confused look. The last time we checked, everyone was downstairs finishing up their breakfast. Well, except for one person whom was in their room still asleep.

"You can come in," I said, moving away from Sora's face. "The door is unlocked."

Part of me was expecting Yuffie to come bundling in. Perhaps it was Aerith with more first-aid advice for me. But, no, it was Leon. He pushed the door open with a weak shove and yawned, wiping the sleep out of his green-blue eyes. He was snoring just a few moments ago; he must have just woken up. It was easy to tell judging by how his usually tidy hair was all over the place. A wrinkly, white tee hung off of his lean torso to match the bland, black pyjama bottoms he was wearing. I didn't know why I had expected his nighttime clothes to be as interesting as his daytime clothes. He was dressed for comfortability.

He stepped into the bathroom and made a beeline to the sink. With another body in here, there was hardly any room left to move around freely. Leon didn't say a word while he retrieved his toothbrush from where it sat in the holder. That is, until he glanced over at the two of us. The look he was giving us was blank. Then, it started to click to him.

"Why are you covered in cuts and bruises, anyways?" he asked, his dark brows pulling low on his face.

Sora, shocked that was the question that he chose to ask, gazed up at the ceiling. "Some are from a bookshelf. Some are from a fight."

"Hmm . . ." was his response.

Once the toothbrush was in his hand, he looked in the mirror and shook out his head of brown locks. It suddenly occurred to me that he had gotten a haircut. How could I not have noticed? His hair was all the way down a bit past his shoulders last year. Now, his hair was no longer than neck length. It . . . looked good.

"Did you get a haircut?" I asked out of sheer curiosity. _Of course he got a haircut, Sasuke._

He looked down at me with a raised eyebrow this time. It was really the only time he showed emotion: with his eyebrows. Or at least, as far as I've seen. "Yeah, last week. You've just now seen it?"

"There's a place to get your hair cut around here?" Sora's eyes went wide when Leon nodded. "Do you mind taking me? I haven't got a haircut in almost two years."

He was right. The last time he had scissors anywhere near the brown tresses was when his mom forced him to cut it back at the islands, claiming his hair was starting to look like Riku's. Now, especially since his hair was wet, his hair fell around his shoulders in stuck-together strands. No doubt long enough to put into a ponytail if he wanted.

Leon chuckled dryly. "Sure. I thought that was the look you were going for now. I'll take you later on today before the sun goes down."

He said nothing else. He simply got his toothbrush and left, closing the door to leave us alone in the small room. It was strange. But, then again, it was Leon. He was known for appearing to have the least amount of emotion as possible. And even when he did have a lot of emotion, he wouldn't use it at a time like this.

Sora snickered. _That's Leon for ya._

The thought of getting a new haircut must have been enough for him. His body didn't shudder away at all when I reached out to clean his face this time. His eyes watched when I ran the cold washcloth over his bottom lip. Of course, he did flinch the slightest bit at the contact, but didn't object too much as it jutted out to allow me more access. Either he really was being dramatic about the pain this whole time, or he just wasn't thinking about the stinging anymore.

And, just like that, he was done.

He resisted the urge to suck on his bottom lip after it was cleaned. It had become a habit of his lately for some reason. That, and staring—a lot of staring that was usually aimed at me. Neither Donald nor Goofy and I asked when these habits-the mood swings, too-started up. They just sort of . . . happened . . . and none of us thought it was important enough to bring to his attention.

Those big, blue eyes were watching my every move, a glint of warmth deep within them. "Thanks, Sasuke."

He gave me a small smile. One of those childish smiles that he reserved for his close friends. When I returned it, he jumped off of the bathroom counter, using the towel on his shoulders to dry his hair. He scrubbed the fabric against his head so hard that I wouldn't have been surprised if it made him dizzy.

As if naturally, the more it dried, the more his spikes started to form. More specifically his bangs. He was never big on them like me and Riku, but now his hair was hanging down to the bridge of his nose, spiking up in that fashion he's worn since we were children. Not that it seemed to bother him too much. I didn't see how. The only thing keeping his hair from getting into his eyes were the long lashes that surrounded them.

"No problem." My hands moved to put away all of the first-aid supplies. "What else am I here for?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure you're here for a better reason than patching up my cuts."

A scoff blew past my lips. It wasn't like the action was intentional. The way I saw it, there was no purpose of me having anything to do with this whole "Keyblade" thing. It felt like I was tagging along with a group of people that probably would manage just as fine if I wasn't there. But, I wasn't going to tell him that. He'd go into a heart-to-heart about how he was glad that I was here, even if there was no reason for it. And though I was glad to be here with him, too, there was still that nagging voice in the back of my mind wondering why I hadn't disappeared into an abyss like the islands once did.

I turned on the faucet to wash my hands. Aerith was adamant about me washing them before and after handling his face. It made sense. We'd been in school long enough to learn about germs.

"And what do you suppose that purpose is, Sora?" I asked over the running water. _You just said you weren't going to bring this subject up with him, Sasuke._

He stopped scrubbing his head with the towel to look down at me dumbfounded. "Well . . ." he trailed off.

His hair was back to normal now. It was no longer dark and stringy, but spiky and light. But one thing was off . . . Did he ever wonder why strands of his hair were suddenly turning blond?

"Exactly my point. I guess until figure out what that is, I'll just stick to chasing you with rubbing alcohol."

Deciding that his hair was dry enough to let air-dry, he hung the towel on the rack behind him. The shirt that he planned to put on after he got out of the shower was still on the counter where he left it. He grabbed it, reached his arms up to pull it over his head. The movements caused the muscles of his back and chest to flex underneath his skin. He slipped one arm in, then two, before I realized that I was staring at him. Clearing my throat, my focus went back to rinsing the soap off of my hands.

"That's a little depressing, don't ya think?" He pulled the shirt all the way down and pulled his chain out from beneath it. "You have a Keyblade, too. The only reason I have one is because I was chosen. But you . . . you _weren't_ chosen by anything, Sasuke. Do you ever ask yourself why you have a Keyblade? Whatever your purpose is, it must be big, even if we don't know it right now."

He was right again. He was almost always right. It had never occurred to me that none of us questioned why I had the special weapon. Why _did_ I even have one? Why was a fifteen-year-old (almost sixteen) girl carrying around a key strong enough to defend worlds? If Sora hadn't been chosen by the Kingdom Key, I would still have my Keyblade . . . he wouldn't. He was bringing up good points. Maybe I did have a purpose in this after all.

I debated telling him about the flashes of random scenes that's been happening. Scenes where a little girl that looked like me roamed a world with three older people that I didn't recognize. But, I stayed silent. One problem a day. He fixed my sense of self-worth today. He can help me figure out my episodes another day.

"How do we know if that purpose isn't for something good?" I mumbled.

Smiling, he patted the top of my head, and answered, "I feel your light. Whatever you want to do, whatever you were meant to do, it's gotta be something good."

Oddly enough, that was just what I needed to hear.

There wasn't a chance for me to thank him. He was already out of the small bathroom by the time the faucet switched off.

A heavy sigh that I didn't know I was holding in blew passed my lips. Sora's presence was suffocating sometimes. Or, at least, he made me feel like I was suffocating. It was as if a pressure was sitting on my chest with no plans of letting up. In the same way a person's breath hitches, in those heart-to-heart moments like this one, he made it hard for me to breathe sometimes.

He didn't need to know about that, either.

The entire second floor of the house was empty to say the least. So empty that when my bare feet stepped into the hallway, the sound of the wooden floor creaking echoed off of the walls. Bright sunlight from the scattered windows beamed inside. It was warm out today. It was easy to tell because of the breeze blowing the drapes at the end of the hall. The perfect day to catch up on some much needed relaxation.

Everyone was downstairs battling over the last cup of coffee. That's what it sounded like to me. A voice that sounded a lot like Merlin's was explaining that Yuffie didn't need any more and that she should give it to Donald. The duck probably was agreeing-not that it mattered. Both men let out exaggerated noises when the teenager chugged the mug anyways. Even from up here, I could hear her dramatic swallowing. Leon sighed about how that was childish and unnecessary, to which she responded by pointing out that he was a kid, too. The older boy went silent; he must not have liked that.

My head peeked out from behind the stairwell to look into the dining room. Aerith was in the kitchen washing dishes left over from their breakfast, Merlin and Donald were scowling, Leon was pinching the bridge of his nose in the corner, and Yuffie was polishing off the cup of coffee. Sora sat next to her with a donut in his hand, his head thrown back in laughter. They all looked like a family. One that I do desperately missed pretending to have.

Their heads turned to look at me when I reached the bottom of the steps. Different smiles were thrown my way. Well, all except for Leon, who was still bummed off being called a kid. It wasn't his fault. He may have been only eighteen, but he sure did have the maturity of someone in their thirties.

Sora motioned for me to take the other donut off of his plate. Glazed. What a sugary breakfast. I didn't object as I picked it up and sat on the other side of Yuffie. The sugary finish was making my fingers sticky. It was okay; it still tasted good.

"Great, Sasuke's here." Aerith walked out of the kitchen, drying her hand on a dish towel. "Now we can figure out what happened out there last night."

 _What happened?_ Sora swallowed the bit of donut that was in his mouth. His back straightened up and his eyebrows rose in interest. He didn't know a thing about what they were referring to. It was obvious in the crease that formed between his brows. He was just as confused as I was.

His gaze darted back and forth between Merlin and Aerith. "What happened last night?"

"I doubt you four heard anything. You all were out like babies. I've never seen anyone look that dead while they slept," Yuffie added in with a snicker. "Last night a few people reported hearing strange crashing noises around the bailey, two of the housing districts, and Town Square. We heard it, too, but we thought it was the citizens of Hollow Bastion. Couldn't have been if they thought it was us."

My dark brows pulled low. The four of us had slept so well that we slept over loud crashings. We possibly could have slept through a Heartless attack at this rate. It now occurred to me how exhausted we are. That year-long coma (or something like that) that we were in did nothing for us. We were still tired physically, and, in my case, mentally.

I didn't know why I was expecting for it to be peaceful here. Though it was beautiful, Hollow Bastion was filled with Heartless and Nobodies. We retreated into a world trying to repair itself thinking we could escape conflict for a while. Right now, Hollow Bastion _was_ conflict. Our scheduled relaxation was too good to be true. Like everything, it came with a price: we still had to fight.

"Gawrsh, so what are we gonna do about it? Should we go investigate?" Goofy left his spot on the living room couch to join into the conversation.

Leon looked up. "Funny. That's exactly what the plan is."

"We're going to split up into teams of two and go scouting for anything suspicious today," Aerith announced. "We'll cover more ground that way, plus there's enough reported districts to evenly distribute them amongst us."

The plan made sense. My head nodded to show them that I was all in for it. Hopefully, we found nothing out there during the scouting mission so we could get back to enjoying ourselves. But, then again, enjoying ourselves seemed like such a foreign subject that investigating almost appeared . . . more interesting. _How could we escape conflict if we thought conflict was fun?_

Sora took a huge bite of his chocolate sprinkled donut. He had a sprinkle on the corner of his mouth, his tongue darting out passed his lips to lick it off. "When do we leave, then?" he asked.

Merlin was the one to answer him. "Always quick for adventure, aren't you? You can leave as soon as we divide into groups."

Blue eyes instantly met with my silver ones. He look he was sending my way felt like a thousand words even though it was only a smirk. There were no sentences exchanged. It was just a certain expression, but I had known him well enough to know what it meant. Back on the islands, when we split up into teams to play games on the beach, it was always the look he'd give Riku. The same look he'd give him right before Kairi would argue that the two boys on one team together was cheating. Depending on what game we were playing, he'd give in to the girl, look at me, and mouth-

"Come on, Sasuke. You can go scouting with me," he said. The chair made a small squeaking noise from being pushed back when he stood up. "I'm ready to leave whenever you are."

It was fine with me. Scouting was probably going to be more fun than sitting on the couch reading some of Merlin's books. So, I accepted, finishing off the rest of my sugary breakfast.

The groups had been announced and split up after Aerith demanded that everyone cleaned up their messes. She took it upon herself as the second oldest in the house to make sure things were in order before we left. No one blamed her. There was no fun in being out scouting all day and having to come back to a house that looked like a bunch of teenagers stayed in in. Which, when I thought about it, was ironic because it was the truth.

The cleaning process would have gone faster had Sora not been so lazy. Instead of cleaning up, he insisted on sitting at the table with two more chocolate donuts. _A big guy's gotta eat_ , he'd argued, but everyone knew it was a load of bull.

He was never the type to find fun in cleaning up. Or importance for that matter. His bedroom at his parent's house, for example, had dirty laundry everywhere and sometimes smelled of spoiled coconuts.

When he was done eating, he lazily washed out his own dishes and cleaned the bedroom that the boys had stayed in. Just washing his one plate took twenty minutes. One couldn't even count how long it took him to pick his dirty laundry up off of the wooden floor.

Donald and Goofy were ordered to go searching in Town Square. They didn't object seeing as how Town Square was where some of the shops were. Goofy mentioned something about wanting to stop by for ice-cream, to which Donald shut down. He didn't want to run into his hyperactive nephews right now. Yuffie had already claimed to go roaming in one of the housing districts with Aerith before anyone else got the chance to. We were surprised she didn't call Leon, who shrugged his shoulders and said they'd make a good team. Merlin agreed to go to the other housing district so that Leon wouldn't have to go by himself. Then, there was Sora and I, already lacing up our shoes to go exploring around the bailey.

There were a couple run in with the Heartless on the way around the town. None of the white creatures were around: Nobodies. It was a good thing that they weren't. Those things were a lot smarter, swifter, and harder to take down than the Heartless. However, getting into battles had almost become second nature from how long we had been doing it. We paid it no mind as we summoned our Keyblades and sprung into each fight.

Not too many Heartless lurked around the area. Maybe two groups of them at most jumped out on us while we walked. It was nothing compared to what we had dealt with in the past. For that, I was more than thankful.

The bailey was shockingly quiet. It was so quiet that our shoes walking against the cobblestone ground echoed throughout the small pathway. Beyond the opening in the wall, I could just about make out the run-down mechanical castle in the distance.

It was the main part of the world that could no longer be occupied until further notice. They had explained to us that many of the townspeople originally lived there. It was where Hollow Bastion royalty once ruled. Now, everyone stayed in the outskirts, hoping that their original houses can somehow miraculously get restored to them.

The endless sea of Heartless surrounding the castle and town didn't let up at all. There were no dents in their numbers-not even the tiniest bit. Not that their numbers should have went down. If we wanted to get Hollow Bastion back to the fullest potential the world once had, it was going to be a while before we could fix _that_ problem. For now, they were focused on making their outskirt town as comfortable as possible.

Sora walked into the bailey pathway with his hands buried deep in the pockets of his shorts. I could hear him popping his knuckles underneath the black fabric of his gloves. Other than the sound of our shoes stepping, both of our chains clanking, and him popping his knuckles, there was not a noise to be heard. It wasn't necessarily a good thing. If I had learned anything from my journey with the boys, I knew that silence was too good to be true. Silence was usually the enemy in situations like this.

Sora gazed around the bailey with raised eyebrows before letting out a heavy sigh. So far, things were good . . . for now . . .

He glanced my way with a defeated shrug. "I don't see anything suspicious around here. Do you?"

"I don't even know what we're supposed to be looking for," I answered truthfully. "But, unless the crash came from a pipe falling out of the walls, I don't see anything that could have done it."

He chuckled softly—so softly that it was barely heard. His head shook as he continued to walk ahead. I trailed after him without another word. There was nothing else to say.

A breeze had picked up enough to blow hair around the back of my neck. When we had left the house, I made no move to take my hair out of its messed up bun. If it could even be called that. It was a failed attempt at Mulan's bun; it appeared more like a knot than anything. It would be a pain to have to comb out later. Yet, it was better than having the blue-black strands falling around my hips like it normally did. And for the first time in years, I was wondering if I should go get my hair cut with the boys.

"Hey, Sora?"

He turned his head to look at me through the corners of his eyes. He was already a few feet ahead of me. His eyes—once searching for anything out of the ordinary—stared back at me like I was out of the ordinary. Part of me felt bad for interrupting his concentration, but it was too quiet, and I wanted his opinion on this question.

My finger reached up to twirl a stray lock of hair. "Do you think I should cut my hair?"

His expression shifted from one of interest to straight confusion. Once the words processed in his head, he looked at me incredulously.

It wasn't his fault. It was a dumb question to ask at a time like this. However, I liked talking to Sora, even if it was about subjects as stupid as my off-black head of hair. He was funny and easy to talk to. Maybe he could make the atmosphere not so serious.

Realizing that I was serious, he shook his head with a smirk. "No, you should keep it. I like your hair."

I felt the corner of my lips tilt upwards. Who knew why that made me smile . . . it just did. Most likely it was because I was against getting a haircut right now, too. Selphie and Riku's mothers would throw a fit when I came back.

"Really?" I asked, biting the inside of my cheek. He nodded his head. "So you like longer hair, huh?"

His eyebrows furrowed as if I was accusing him of something wrong. It made me want to laugh. It was the same look a deer in headlights would give. Or someone who was caught trying to cheat on a school exam.

"Huh? What? I'm not saying that I _like_ longer hair on people. There's nothing wrong with short hair. I just like it on _you_ ," he said. His eyes squinted up as if noticing what he had just said before he blurted out, "Not that I like your hair! No! I mean . . . I _do_ like your hair, but not _like like_ , ya know? It's a healthy, moderate amount of like."

 _A healthy, moderate amount of like?_

I resisted the urge to burst to burst out into a fit of giggles. Sora was always the person who knew the right things to say. Seeing him all tongue-tied trying to find the right words was rare. In times where it happened, I basked in it. No one knew when it was ever going to happen again. Might as well let out the laughs while I could.

He hummed nervously and scratched his head, eyes scanning over the cobblestone walls. "That made no sense, I guess. What I'm trying to say is that I like the way long hair looks on you. You don't have to cut it off. But, it's your hair, so if you want to . . . go ahead. I'm sure you'll look just as pretty without it as you do with it."

He thought I was pretty? That brought a smile to my face. It was unexpected, but there was no point in bringing it up. He'd go into another sheepish ramble about how he thought I was a _healthy, moderate amount_ of attractive. I laughed again.

"Thanks for the feedback. You're pretty funny, you know."

This time, he laughed. I liked his laugh. It reminded me of everything that I liked about life . . . everything that I missed about life. It reminded me of sunny skies and pulling ocean waves. _He didn't need to know about that, either._

We went back to searching the bailey in silence. Not another word was said. Though, every now and then, he'd tell me that he didn't see anything in certain parts of the area. The bailey wasn't too big, but it also wasn't as small as the town square was. I doubted that we'd be the first ones finished.

It would have never been this quiet on Destiny Islands. Hell, none of this ever would have happened on the islands. But, everything that happened in these different worlds reminded me of the sandy shores and blooming tropical flowers. It was hard. My mood changed drastically whenever I thought about where we grew up. My face was pink with laughter moments ago. Now, I was biting the inside of my cheek, wondering why the universe had to take my home away from me.

For some reason, it was easy for me to talk to Sora about what hairstyle I should have, but it was difficult for me to bring up the fact that I was hurt. Memories flooded my mind every single day and I was growing more and more homesick with each passing hour. I'd always thought that nothing could pop the perfect bubble that I'd placed myself in. I was wrong. For the past year, the bubble had developed scratches. Now, it was on the verge of bursting.

My feet fell into step behind Sora. The silence was so thick that I could feel it. He had else to say to me. I had nothing that I wanted to say to him.

I'd been feeling this way for days now. It started with me questioning the purpose of me being here, the constant homesickness, then the envy of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee. I was glad for them, I truly was, but it wasn't fair how they still had their friends and homeworld . . . and we didn't.

Sometimes, those thoughts came with a lot of hurt that I kept to myself. So much so that I started a habit of not thinking about it, leaving it bottled up where my mind wouldn't get to it. Nobody else seemed to mind-that, or they couldn't tell-but it was really bothering me. The random scenes playing in my head lately weren't helping.

It wasn't fair. Why did I have to pretend all of the time? Why couldn't I have a strong will like everyone else. We had been fighting for so long, and it felt like I was never going to get back to the things I loved.

Was I the only one who had these thoughts resurface again and again? The images of pulling tides and palm trees, the smiling citizens and golden sand . . . everything.

Riku would know what to do. So would Kairi. Younger me was a very anxiety-ridden child; they made things better. Riku would tell me to take deep breaths. He would tell me to talk to him about it on the second island, just me and him if I wanted. Kairi would reassure me that they weren't going anywhere. She would make me forget about my problems like they never happened in the first place. They made me forget.

The thought made my stomach pull in what felt like hundreds of directions. It made my bones shake in their sockets. And, worst of all, it made me hurt.

Tears began to fill my eyes; the stinging was obvious. I didn't bother to wipe them away. The feeling that I was feeling now had been buried so long that even if I did try to stop it, it wouldn't. It's become as much a part of me as the paleness of my skin or that ugly silver glow in my irises.

It hurt because I _missed_ it. I missed my best friends more than words could have described. Of course, Sora being here was making things better, and without him, I didn't know what the hell I'd do. He brought temporary happiness, but he didn't stop the hurting. He couldn't stop the way my chest closed up when I thought about sea-green eyes. He couldn't stop the way my head pounded when I thought about redheads with bright smiles. He couldn't stop it. And I couldn't blame him for that.

There was no one to blame for what happened.

Sora stood in front of me closer than he was previously. His attention was on our scouting mission. I should have been doing the same thing. But, right now, the scratch in my bubble had gone too deep to ignore it. For some reason, it was popping . . . I could feel it.

My pride was long gone. My feet felt like they were moving on their own as they took the few steps to close the gap between us. It was like someone else was controlling my body. Though, that wasn't the case. My emotions were in control now.

He let out a surprised grunt when my arms wrapped around him. My head buried into his chest. It didn't matter than his crown-shaped pendant was digging into my cheek. His body went stiff underneath my hold, clearly unsure how to react to my crying.

"S-Sasuke?" he mumbled in confusion. "What's wrong? You were just fine, what—?"

My tears were staining his shirt. Not that he seemed to care. Or he was really good at hiding it. He was most likely wondering why I, the heroine in his little adventure, was breaking down right in front of him.

"I-I—" My throat was closing up. It made it hard for me to talk. Nonetheless, I blurted out, "I miss them. I miss Riku, Kairi, Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, your parents, the island—I—"

I couldn't finish. It was too hard to. Besides, I was sure that he got the point.

His frame was no longer stiff. His arms reached around me to pull me into a hug, a tight one at that. It was what I wanted most at the moment. To just be comforted by the last connection I had left of home. And it helped. He was warm, and the best hugger I knew.

It helped, but it didn't fix things.

"I know you do. I do, too," he said. His chin was placed on my head as he rubbed my back in attempt to stop the shaking. "It's okay to cry. I'm surprised you haven't done it by now. I'm doing what I can to make things better. You don't have to be strong all of the time. You've been through a lot, Sasuke-more than I even know about-and it's alright to cry."

That only made the tears stream faster. "How d-do you keep it together, then?"

"I don't." He chuckled, and I could hear it echo through his chest. "I'm really sad, too, you know. But, having you here makes things better."

Perhaps it was a point of weakness. Maybe it was because I was being an uncharacteristically vulnerable mess of a person that made me feel like this. Maybe it was because I was trying to use him to glue my pieces back together. But, at that moment, he made me . . . _okay_ . . . if only for a minute. It was like just having him talk to me made feel stronger inside. It made no sense. Though, one thing was for sure.

Sora was trying his best for all of us . . . for all that we _were_. I was the one brightening his day this whole time. And, now more than ever, he was the one shedding light on mine.

"You okay?" he asked after my crying had been replaced by silence.

His fingertips moved to comb through small sections of hair that had fell out of my bun. It was tangled. Figures.

I nodded against his chest. "Mmhmm."

"See? Don't you feel better now?"

My head pulled back a bit to look him in the eye. With one eyebrow raised, he stared down at me with a newfound interest. It was as if he was urging me to continue what I had to say. But, what did I want to say to him? There were a million and one thoughts running through my head.

"Thanks," I whispered, almost as if talking loudly took a willpower that I didn't have.

"I know you'd rather talk about these kind of things with Riku, but I care about you just as much as he does, and whenever you need me, I'll be here." He smiled. I buried my face back into his chest, not caring that my heart was beating faster than his. "I don't think there's anything here. We should go back to the house and grab some lunch."

I chuckled even though it was muffled by his shirt. "You just ate three donuts."

"Yeah, it didn't do anything. I'm still hungry. Are you really sure that you're okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine, I swear."

He leaned down a bit to kiss my forehead. Right where my hairline started. It caught me by surprise . . . not that he seemed to care. "If you say so. How's about a grilled cheese?" He pulled away with a smile. "Or three?"

I think . . . this is the most affection he'd shown me since we were thirteen.

* * *

 **"DID YOU GUYS** find anything out there?"

Sora grabbed the hem of his shirt before lifting it above his head. He hadn't hesitated stripping out of his shirt as soon as we walked through the front door. It must have really felt like home to him here. The only times where he liked to go shirtless were at his house, Riku's house, and the beach.

He collapsed onto the couch without a word. With his shirt in one hand, he ran his fingers through his brown spikes, his eyes shut, and I knew Leon had the answer to his question. No luck in the bailey.

Leon tossed something in the younger boy's direction. It was black-whatever it was. Sora lifted his arms again and slid something down them. It was another shirt. _Of course_ he wasn't walking around bare-chested just to be shirtless. His own shirt had a wet spot on it from where I had poured my soul out an hour ago.

"There was nothing," Sora answered once he was redressed.

"Damn it," Yuffie murmured from the other end of the couch. "So what the hell was that strange noise that we heard last night?"

"I'm going to go take a nap."

Seven pairs of eyes glanced over to me. My feet dragged against the wood flooring on the way to the stairs. A few of the looks were confused-probably as to why I was just up and leaving. I was too drained to care. My eyes were still puffy and my head was drowsy. There was nothing like a good breakdown to make a person exhausted.

Emotionally and Physically.

Goofy tossed me a small smile. He must have knew that something had changed with me. Something that the others were oblivious to. But, that was Goofy for you: a sweetheart who cared about his friends. I gave him a reassuring smile before retreating up the stairs.

"Well, back to this mystery . . ."

My shared bedroom with Aerith and Yuffie was toward the beginning of the hall. It was a the door right next to the tiny bathroom, and directly across from Leon's. I made a beeline directly for the door, twisting the knob to open it. When it did, I was greeted by the scent that only three girls could have made. _It smelled good in there._

I closed the door behind me before crawling into my bed. Something told me that it would be more productive if I was downstairs with everyone. They needed all the members they had to help figure out this mystery. It could have been something with the potential to ruin the Hollow Bastion that they've worked so hard to build up. I couldn't, though. Right now . . . it was too much.

So, I sunk into the mattress and let my eyes close.

* * *

 **THERE WAS NO** light when my eyes reopened. There were no birds chirping in the distance. Warm breezes didn't blow around Aerith's pink curtains. Rays of sunlight didn't shine onto Yuffie's collection of ninja weapons in the corner. Rather, the window had been closed to block out the cold air, and it was dark. The only source of light in the room was the gleams coming from underneath the door. It wasn't enough to light up the room, though. It was still pitch black despite that tiny light shining on the floor.

The lights were on beyond the door. That meant that everyone was awake downstairs. It was late, that was for sure, but not late enough for everyone to call it a day. It was a good thing. I had just woken up and had no intentions of going back to sleep for the next few hours. The corners of my lips pulled down into a frown. This nap was going to mess up my sleeping schedule.

My body rolled onto my back as a hand ran through my hair. It had managed to slip out of its messed up bun while I tossed and turned in my sleep. It laid sprawled around my head like a veil. To make matters worse, it was tangled. My fingers were barely able to comb through anything beyond the roots. It needed to be washed and combed out. But, not now. It can wait for another day.

I leaned up on my elbows to look around the room. It was hard to see anything because of how dark it was. My legs swung off of the side of the bed to be greeted by the cold floor. A hiss blew passed my lips. For a day so warm a few hours ago, it sure was cold in the night hours. I ignored my freezing toes as I stood up, tiptoeing to the door.

There was no purpose in doing that. Everyone was still awake downstairs. It was more like an instinct. An instinct that came out of nowhere. On the islands, I lived in my studio apartment alone.

The door made small creaking sounds when my hands pushed it open. Light flooded into the bedroom from the hallway. It shined light on the weapons in the corner. And they shined back, reflecting the light in bright beams that shot across the room.

The noises coming from downstairs could be hard even clearer now. There was laughter and shouting. Whatever they were doing must have been fun to cause all of this ruckus. But, that wasn't the only thing. The smell of food filled my nose. It caused my stomach to rumble in hunger. They were cooking, too . . . something good judging by the smell of it. That was good. The only thing I remembered eating today was a glazed donut.

Stepping out of the bedroom, I closed the door behind me before walking down the stairs. It was a lot warmer in here than it the bedroom. Which didn't surprise me. Someone was down there cooking. All of the heat was definitely going to warm up the place. Especially since Merlin was old fashioned and preferred to use the gas stoves instead of the electric ones.

The house was set up as to where anyone who walked down the stairs could have a clear view of the dining room and the living room. In the dining room, Goofy sat at the table with his frame shaking in laughter. It was easy to figure out what he was laughing at.

The couches in the living room had been pushed into each corner of the room to make space. Bookshelves filled with spell books had been moved closer to the walls. It left an empty area in the middle of the room—an empty area in which Leon and Sora were wrestling. Sora attempted to pin him down onto the ground. It didn't work. Leon grabbed onto his shoulder when he got close enough before pulling him into a headlock. Donald, who was sitting on one of the moved couches, laughed.

Leon glanced over at me as I stood on the bottom step. He was paying no attention to the boy underneath his arm. "Hey," he greeted.

I let out a soft chuckle. What in the world made those two want to wrestle each other? More specifically, what made them want to wrestle each other at a random time like this one? The last time Sora had gone against Leon didn't turn out the way he thought it was going to. It ended up with him unconscious on the ground in Traverse Town, and with his Keyblade stolen. That alone would have set me off from getting into another sprawl with the older boy.

Walking passed the fight, I made my way into the dining room. Aerith and Yuffie were the ones who were in the kitchen cooking. Yuffie was trying her hand in chopping onions. Tears streamed down the girl's cheeks from the gas it released, but it didn't stop her from slicing and dicing. She moved the large knife over the vegetable with as much precision as one could get while they cried. Still ever the ninja.

My body slumped down into the seat next to Goofy. He smiled at me before glancing at my hair. It probably looked like a rat's nest. I didn't know what it looked like; I didn't check. But, I was also too lazy to do anything about it right now. It was longer than it usually was. More difficult than it usually was. Since cutting it was out of the question, I was going to have to figure out how to keep track with it. Sora thought it was pretty, so what was the point in trying to fix something that wasn't broken?

No. _Sora thought I was pretty_. My lips pulled up into a small smile.

"Are ya feelin' better, Sasuke?" Goofy asked as he finally looked away from my hair. "Looks like you slept well."

"Yeah, I guess. I just had to get a few things off of my chest. Did you guys find out what the sound last night was?"

"It was all a false alarm. Donald's uncle's ice cream machine broke down last night. He thought getting angry and hitting it would make it work again." Goofy did that _hyuck hyuck_ laugh that made me laugh with him. "Cid helped him fix it. You missed the triplets, too. They came by to drop off leftover ice cream."

I missed out on free ice cream? _Damn it_. A craving for sea salt ice cream was beginning to stir in my mind. It sounded good right about now.

"Okay, okay! I tap out!"

We looked over to see what all the yelling was about. Leon still had Sora in a tight headlock in the middle of the living room. He wasn't able to escape from it as easily as he thought. With a smirk of triumph, Leon dropped Sora. The brunet fell to his knees groaning about how he wanted a rematch one day. Leon just chuckled. Even though the boy did gain some muscle in the past year, it was still not enough to overpower Leon. Something told me that it probably never will.

Sora climbed onto his feet. Donald mentioned something about him not being able to beat Leon for the second time. All that managed to do was make the teenager shoot him a glare. His hand reached up to scratch at his hair in defeat. That was when I noticed it.

He went out to get a haircut while I was asleep. His previous long spikes were trimmed down shorter than they were back on the islands. That wasn't all. He had kept his new bangs. They swept down to the right side of his face in spikes long enough for him to still see. It was no longer that kid-ish, dramatic cut. It was nice.

He turned his head to the side. Blue eyes went wide when they seen Goofy and I sitting at the table. A sheepish smile spread across his face. He knew that I had just witnessed him get beaten again. It was almost funny how embarrassed he looked. Though, what did he think was going to happen? Leon was still bigger and stronger than him, and I hadn't expected anything less from that fight

"Hey," he said, walking into the dining room. "How was your nap?"

I nodded at him. "It was great."

My staring must have been obvious. He let out a chuckle as his hand reached up to finger a lock of his bangs. The brown strands wrapped around his finger with each motion. "I got it cut a couple hours ago. I was going for something more mature since I'll be sixteen soon. What do ya think?"

"I like it." _I really did._

"All you did was cut one or two inches off. It's not a huge difference." Donald laughed from the living room. "But, I see what you mean."

Sora rolled his eyes. It was a playful one, of course, which was a rare eye roll nowadays. Normally they were filled with defiance. It occurred when someone said something that he didn't like. Perhaps he was starting to lighten up again. It just felt like he was changing so much lately. Not physically. His body changed, but he looked completely the same at the same time. He just . . . _felt_ different. Mentally, maybe. He was maturing, growing in front of our very eyes, and it felt odd.

"Dinner's ready!"

That was all that it took. Everyone gathered into the kitchen to collect a plate from Aerith and Yuffie. Donald was hesitant about getting one. He claimed that Yuffie could have poisoned it because of their coffee dispute this morning. However, he still took the food. And it didn't come as a complete shock that Sora and Leon's plates were the biggest. Those two tended to eat more than anyone we knew. _The higher the metabolism, the bigger the plate_ , Aerith had said as she piled more food on. It didn't make sense to me. Us girls had high metabolisms as well, but we still didn't need to eat as much as they did.

Once everyone had their food, we all sat at the dining room table. Though, it felt like someone was missing.

"Where's Cid?" I asked, swallowing my fork-full of mashed potatoes.

Yuffie had made them. They were pretty good; no wonder she was bragging about them.

"He came by earlier today," Sora answered. "He left with Shera, though. Something about them needing a break from babysitting us "damn kids."

Leon leaned back in his chair with folded arms. "He tried to wake you up, but Aerith wouldn't let him open the bedroom door."

"Did you see how tired she looked this afternoon? She needed that nap." Aerith argued.

That nap was certainly needed. It left me feeling so much better. And I was thankful that nothing felt awkward between Sora and I after that talk. The talk where he told me that he was sad, too. At times like this, it was hard to tell that he was hurting. Then again, anyone could hide away their feelings. He was just better at it than I was.

"Hey, Sasuke?" Yuffie put down her fork. "What's your favourite colour?"

My eyebrow raised in question. "Hmmm . . . Blue. Why? What's this about?"

"Wow, that's ironic. Sora told me his favourite colour is silv-"

Sora dropped his fork so fast that it clanked against his plate. He didn't pay it any mind. His hand slapped down over Yuffie's mouth to keep her from talking any further. She let out muffled noises in protest.

"Aerith!" he shouted quickly. "This food is great! What did you season it with?!"

Aerith looked beyond confused. "Uh . . ."

Yuffie was squirming to get out of his grasp. He wasn't letting her go. At least, for a while. He jumped back to release his hold on her. With a disgusted face, he started wiping the palms of his hands against her arm. She laughed. She must have licked his hand.

Leon grabbed the bridge of his nose. "Do you two have to do this at the table?"

Yuffie shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not doing anything. All I'm saying is that it's a little suspicious that-"

"Who wants seconds?" Sora stood up faster than any of us could register. "Merlin, do you want a glass of water? I'll go get you one. Yuffie, come with me."

"But, the kitchen is just three steps away-"

He looked frustrated. "C'mon, Yuffie!"

Sighing, Yuffie stood up to walk into the kitchen with Sora. He was whispering something to her. The words were too low for me to tell. It was something urgent. It was obvious in the way the tips of his ears were turning red. We had known each other long enough for me to know that they only did that when he was frustrated, embarrassed, or nervous. Probably all three.

Everyone had their eyes locked on me. I glanced up from my plate to look back and forth between them all. They weren't even trying to make their staring discreet. They were just _watching_ me as if I was some television show that had gone on commercial. It was awkward to say the least.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" I asked. "What was all _that_ about?"

Donald let out a whistle. "You two are denser than black holes."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Why are you talking in idioms."

Sora came back into the dining room with the glass of water he said he was going to get for Merlin. Merlin thanked him even though he didn't need it. Yuffie sat back down in her seat, her eyebrows raised with a newfound interest. Sora sat down and used his hand to push his hair back. It didn't last before it fell back into his face.

 _What was everyone's problem tonight?_

Dinner continued in silence after that. Mostly because everyone was staring at me. It was beginning to get irritating. It was bad enough that I already had to go through a bad day, but now everyone was looking at me as if I was some sort of science experiment. Being watched was never fun. It was a feeling that I hated. It was a feeling that caused an uneasiness in the pit of my stomach.

My plate wasn't all the way empty when I stood up, excusing myself for the rest of the night. Aerith told me to leave the plate there. She said that someone else could do the dishes since I had done them by myself last night. It was a good thing. Right now, I wanted to get away from the staring, and take a hot bath.

It would be easier to take a bath in the small bathroom upstairs. Because of its small size, it was the least used one. No one would complain if I stayed in there longer than I should have.

I needed some me-time. It was something that I hadn't had in more than a year. There wasn't a single moment where I had some personal time to myself. There was always someone by my side . . . more or less. Quiet time was long overdue.

Aerith had set some clothes aside to last me the rest of our duration here. Taking them into the bathroom, I locked the door behind me, and got started on running the water. It came out of the faucet in rushed streams. It was cold at first. However, once I turned the handle, steaming water filled the porcelain bathtub. It was one of those lion-foot tubs. The ones that were in old houses and ghost stories told around a campfire. It wasn't creepy at all. It was beautiful, actually, and I found myself wondering where Merlin had gotten it from.

Liquid was poured into the tub to fill it with bubbles. It began to build up along with the rising water. My hands reached down to grab the hem of my shirt. I coaxed it over my head with a hasty pull. It wasn't really a smart idea. The shirt had gotten caught on one of the six earrings in my left hair. A hiss escaped my lips when it pulled on the cartilage. It had been years since I got those piercings, yet that still hurt every time.

My eyes glanced in the mirror once the shirt was off. I hadn't gotten a chance to really look at myself in a while. The dark hair on top of my head was a mess. The silver eyes staring back at me were still puffy from crying. My skin was paler now than its ever been. Granted I was always on the paler side, and it was a nice contrast against my black hair, it looked strange that my skin was almost as porcelain as the tub. Nothing grew all too much. The only things that did were my bra size and hair. Other than that, the same fourteen-year-old from Destiny Islands was looking back at me.

I took off the rest of my clothes before getting into the stopped tub. The water was so warm that it was fogging up the mirror. Not that it mattered. It felt good-like it was washing away my frustrations of the day. Of the past year, in fact. I sunk further into the tub, letting the bubbles reach my chin as I closed my eyes.

For once, I wanted my mind to be blank. I wanted it to be free of any thoughts of my childhood or about the Keyholes. I just wanted to relax in my own company. Something that warm water and bubbles were definitely giving to me.

As if on cue, someone knocked on the door. "Sasuke, are you okay?"

I knew that voice anywhere. It was Sora. I let out a sigh of relief. I was glad that it was him rather than anyone else. He was the only one that I wanted to allow myself to deal with for the rest of the night. It was a selfish request. That much was obvious. But, when it came to Sora, everything I did seemed like it was selfish.

My body sunk lower into the water. "Yeah, I'm all right."

"Right . . . gotcha . . ." I could almost hear the unsure undertone in his voice. "Donald's making us head out tomorrow. Don't stress yourself out anymore, all right? 'Night."

He left after that. I knew because I heard his footsteps move away from the door. Though, even then, I found myself mumbling, "Goodnight, Sora."

Was it self-centered that I wanted him to come back? Was it stupid that I wanted to be by myself . . . with him? Was it crazy that I wanted him around. Growing up, Sora and I had always gravitated toward each other more than the others. It was still like that. To me, at least. And I couldn't blame myself. There was no one who checked up on me as much as he did. No one who protected me as much as he did. No one who had my back as much as he did. No one who made me laugh as much as he did. Riku came in a close second, but it was nothing compared to Sora. _Why hadn't I noticed?_

Because he was the one who's been fighting to take me home this long. He was the one trying to make sure that I ended up happy. Even if that meant that he wasn't. I liked that about him, I guessed. He was so selfless. Not once did he do something for his gain. It was always for someone else. That someone else who was frequently me. It was evident in the faint bruises on his face.

I realized that I liked Sora the same way I liked sea salt ice cream. It grew on me, and developed into one of my favourite flavours of all time. The same way he had done. My fingers reached up to run over where his lips had pressed against my forehead. It was crazy to compare him to a popsicle. It wasn't the same kind of appreciation.

Because I was beginning to realize that I _liked_ Sora.

So much for wanting my mind to be blank.

* * *

 **My finals are over, and I'm proud to say that I'm passing all of my classes. It's a good thing, too, because I REALLY did not want to have to go to summer school to make up for missing credits. Plus, my birthday is on Friday, so I really didn't need bad grades bringing down my day.**

 **But, anywho, hey guys. This little vacation that they're on is supposed to be a dive deeper into the groups' different mannerisms, relationships, personalities, the developing relationship between Sora and Sasuke, and, the main objective, Sasuke's mind. She's going through a lot. Now's the time I wanted her to show all of the events the past year catching up with them all. Because, when you think about it, they're still _just kids_. So, I hoped you enjoyed these side-story, development chapters.**

 **~ Insane**


	17. The Land of Dragons Pt Two

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN: THE LAND OF DRAGONS PT. TWO**

 **SASUKE**

 **"** **You can only be jealous of someone who has something you think you ought to have yourself."**  
― **Margaret Atwood**

* * *

 **"RISE AND SHINE!** Time to get up, boys!"

A round of groans echoed through the room like a collective chorus. I had burst into their room when they didn't open after the tenth knock. It was no wonder they didn't answer. The curtains were drawn to block out the sunlight from outside. It made the room a dark gray colour. It was the perfect atmosphere for a stay-in type of morning. The dark colours just _made_ you want to snuggle up and go to sleep. Unfortunately for them, it was too late for that.

Donald had chosen to stay on the top bunk since he was the smallest. He rolled over to face the wall and not at me. Goofy lazily yawned from his spot on the bottom bunk. His eyes were still shut in that half asleep sort of way. Then, there was Sora, who was sprawled across the separate twin-sized bed in the corner. He grabbed a spare pillow before slamming it down over his head. It was as if he thought covering his face would block out anything that tried to disrupt his slumber. It didn't. If anything, it made matters worse.

My feet tiptoed further into the room. Piles of dirty clothes and forgotten shoes were scattered around the floor. There was no telling how they did this in the two days that we've stayed here. It was a mess that only three boys could have made. If this was what male college dorms looked like, I feared the day Sora received his acceptance letter.

The path to the window was ridden with dirty socks. I weaved my way around them like it was an obstacle course. It was hard to believe how bad their socks stunk. Especially since the boys themselves never actually smelled bad. Just their sweaty feet did, I supposed. The corners of my lips pulled into a grimace. That was gross.

My hands yanked the curtains open in one swift motion. Light instantly flooded into the room. Things were brighter and not as tiring. The Kingdom Key—sat against the wall along with Sora's yellow high-tops—reflected the light in bright beams. It made all three boys groan out of irritation. They didn't want to get up. It was funny seeing as how I thought I was going to be the last one to wake up.

"Come on, guys. We're leaving today, remember? We had our days off. Now it's time to get back to work."

None of them moved. They continued to lie there like a bunch of dead bodies. One could have thought they were deceased if it had not been or the subtle rise and falls of their chests. The brunet, in particular, even started to loudly snore. My hands pried the pillow away from his face. His eyes were shut, allowing his eyelashes to cast shadows over his cheeks. His muscles were relaxed and he looked content with his dreams. Soft snores blew passed his parted lips to match up with his breathing. He had went back to sleep _that_ fast.

"Sora? Hey!"

I leaned over his face to check for any signs that he wasn't actually sleep. The motion cause my hair to topple over my shoulder, the messy locks surrounding his head like a curtain. His nose wiggled when the strands tickled it. A tiny smile pulled at the corner of his lips, and his snoring had suddenly stopped. He wasn't asleep. But, he was damn sure good at pretending.

"You're not slick, mister! I see you smiling. Get up," I tried again. "You three went to bed way before I did. How the hell are you guys still tired?"

His smile grew wider. He didn't open his eyes, though. Instead, he rolled over, cuddling a pillow to his chest. "Ten more minutes."

No. They had to get up now. How was I going to wake up four boys by myself? There was nothing that could get up unless they themselves wanted to. That is, except for . . . A plan suddenly came to mind. It was a good idea. An easy idea that seemed almost full proof. So, I acted on it.

My hands wrapped around the foot that was poking out from underneath Sora's blanket. With a yank, I used all of my strength to snatch him off of the bed. His hands reached out to grab anything in hopes of saving himself. However, he didn't have enough time. His fist clenched onto the sheets, but all that managed to do was take the mattress down with him. There was a loud _thud_ as he collapsed onto the floor in a heap of covers and sheets. I laughed when the mattress flipped over onto the hardwood flooring. The look on his face proved that he didn't see the same comedy that I did.

"All right, all right. I'm up," he mumbled.

His eyebrows were furrowed low and his blue eyes were red-rimmed with exhaustion. He looked so sleepy that it almost made me feel bad. And his voice wasn't anymore awake. It was coated in a thick layer of sleep. His words were raspy and lower pitched than usual. Lips parting to release a yawn, he sat up, allowing the blankets to pool around his lap.

I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from smiling. It was obvious that Sora was good-looking. Beautiful . . . depending on who you asked. He looked even better in the early mornings. Yup, the dried drool on the corner of his mouth was definitely attractive.

He looked up at me, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing." I shook my head. "Donald, Goofy, you guys get up, too. There's Heartless to stop out there."

"They can wait thirty minutes." Donald wiggled his body closer to the wall.

"Well, if I can't get you two up, I'm sure that Yuffie can—"

That was all it took to get them up. Donald and Goofy sprang up as if their mattresses had been set ablaze. More so the duck, who had almost fallen off of the top bunk in the process. Yet, it wasn't as bad as the dramatic yelping they were doing when they ran out of the room. This was how bad they didn't want the teenage ninja involved?

Sora looked indifferent about the situation—whether it involved him or not. There was nothing that Yuffie could do that was worse than what just happened to him. The most she would do is yell and jump. He knew that. So, he stood up onto his feet, and began to gather the things to remake his bed.

A small part of me felt bad for dragging him onto the floor. He _had_ hit the floor hard enough on his backside to leave a bruise. We all knew his skin swelled purple easily—too easily if you asked me. There was no point in feeling bad about it, though. All of the boys were awake and that was all that mattered, no matter how it had been accomplished. Because something told me that the worlds were going to need us a lot more than they did last year. Now wasn't the time to waste hours snoring.

Donald and Goofy had retreated into the bathrooms to take showers. It was obvious by the sounds of running water in the pipes. That left Sora to clean up their messes until one of them came out so he could go in. He bent down to pick up all of the dirty socks. Even his nose scrunched up at the smell of them. Words of Goofy's feet smelling of death came out in mumbles . . . which told me that the smell wasn't him. Out of all of the boys, I figured the smelly socks would belong to the brunet.

He let out an obnoxious yawn in the middle of picking up a T-shirt. "You don't have to stand there. You can sit on my bed," he pointed out. "Looks like we'll be leaving soon, anyways."

It didn't occur to me that I was awkwardly standing in the room. My body slumped down onto Sora's bed once he fixed everything back to the way it was. For some reason, his entire mattress was warm. How had he managed to make the whole thing his body temperature? _Constant sleeping, of course._

"You don't sound too excited."

"Oh, I am. I'm just . . . tired." He let out another yawn. "Are you tired?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Oh. Uh . . . Is that a new hairstyle you're going for?"

 _What was he talking—oh . . ._

He was hinting toward the pile of mess sitting atop of my head. My hand instinctively reached up to touch the heap. Locks that felt like they were giant hairballs met my fingertips. To make matters worse, he stood in the middle of the room, watching my every move. Sora had figured that my hair was because I was too tired to do anything with it. I couldn't blame him. That _was_ what it looked like.

My eyebrows furrowed low in embarrassment. It was strange because he had seen me through the early stages of puberty—acne and weight gain in all. It was never embarrassing for him to see me at my lowest point as far as in physical appearance. Why was this suddenly so bad? It made me feel even worse when he laughed. In an attempt to shield myself from sight, my hands reached over to pull his pillow on top of my head.

"Shut up! I washed it this morning and forgot to comb the whole thing through first," I defended, weakly, my voice higher than it usually was.

He laughed at me again. I heard the sounds of his footsteps getting closer before he pried the pillow away from my face. Once again, those bright, blue eyes met with mine . . . and he laughed louder. It wasn't like it made me feel any better about the situation.

He reached over to run his fingers through my hair. Or, at least, he would have, had it not gotten caught up in a bunch of tangles. A small hiss blew passed my lips at the sudden yanking.

"Sasuke, your hair's almost matted," he said in between snickers. "When was the last time that you combed it?"

No words answered his question. _When_ was _the last time it was combed?_

Thankfully, before he had the chance to say anything else about my hair, Donald marched into the bedroom. He was freshly showered from the smell of it. He was also wide awake. It was obvious in the way that he told Sora to get in the shower so that we could leave. He was ready for business now. It was a good thing, too. I wouldn't be the only one trying to get out of here now.

Sora ran a hand over his face. Without a word, he left the room with his clothes, and a bath towel slung over his shoulder. And, so did I, walking down the hall and down the stairs to let them finish up.

Only Merlin and Aerith were awake downstairs. Yuffie had been in a food-induced coma since late last night. The same could be said for Leon. He was sleeping heavily in his room, so heavily that his snoring echoed through the house. The two sure did have their fair share of food yesterday. So much for him needing a larger portion.

Aerith offered me a polite smile as I sat down on the other end of the couch. How she managed to be this cheery this early was beyond me. She was a saint, as Yuffie once put it. Nothing could break that girl's spirit. I admired that about her. But, at this time, it made me wonder if she was even human.

Thirty minutes of chatting had passed until the boys walked down the stairs. They were adorned in their usual fighting attire rather than the thin clothes they've been lounging around in. Their items and weapons had been returned to their spots in their pockets. Bright and starry-eyed, they were ready to get back to the long war against the Heartless. However, as if on cue, Sora stretched his arms above his head, letting out an exaggerated yawn.

He looked awake, though that didn't mean that he was—he was still sleepy. But, that was Sora. That was who he was. I didn't expect any more, nor any less. He was _him_. We all should be thankful for him staying true to that for so long.

Letting out a soft chuckle, I shook my head, looking over at the two older people. "Aerith, Merlin, thanks for the mini vacation. We needed it."

Goofy nodded in agreement. "That was the most sleep I've gotten in a long time."

"Great! I'm glad to hear it." Aerith stood up to link her hands together behind her back. "It was fun having you back. We'll keep your beds available for whenever you guys feel like you need another break. Good luck out there. Try to stop by more often, all right?"

"Of course!" Donald grinned.

Normally, they would have brought us into rounds of hugs while they wished for our safety. It wasn't one of those days. Our farewells had been reduced to a couple words and waves. It was as good as we were going to get for now. There was a reason for it, though—we had to leave before Yuffie woke up and had a chance to prolong our stay. With those final, few yet heart-filled words exchanged, we headed out of the house, into the awaiting morning streets of Hollow Bastian.

It was far brighter out than I had anticipated. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. A gentle breeze had begun to blow around the scent of blooming flowers. After staying here for so long, I had come to realize that _this_ was Hollow Bastian. Blooming flowers, mechanical exteriors, and bright skies. Or, at least, that's what I thought it was. It had its own blissful vibe to it.

Except . . . that bliss didn't last long.

I was too focused on the morning sky; no focus was given to where I was headed. So, it came as a complete surprise when my body collided with something. Someone. It had been so hard that it knocked me backwards, squeaking as I tumbled onto the cobblestone ground. The person that I had bumped into yelped, too, falling with me at the same time.

Sora was at my side before my backside could even touch the ground. It was almost like a reflex—how fast he reached for me. His hands gripped at my biceps to steady me. The action caused me to stumble a bit, but he had saved me from the fall nonetheless.

The same couldn't have been said for the other person. Goofy rushed to her side once she fell, gasping about how he hoped she was okay. A woman—in her early forties from what it seemed. My mouth moved to spew out apologizes for my clumsiness. But, as I glanced over at her, I suddenly stopped. And by the looks of it, she was too shocked to say anything as well.

She was beautiful to say the least. Her black hair sat pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. The strands, shining with light from the sun, swung around her thighs from how long they were. Her skin was tanned, ridden with freckles that spotted her face like stars. Her brows were thick and arched; her lips pink and full. Then, there were her eyes. Bright, silver irises surrounded by long, black lashes stared back at me.

I couldn't find the words to speak.

"Oh, man," the man moving behind the woman spoke up. "Are you two all right?"

He placed a large hand on the woman's shoulder. He had to have been around the same age even though his body physically didn't look like it. His height stood tall above all of us to match the broadness of his shoulders. His hair was a deep, blue-black colour, short and swept around his eyes in that bedhead type of way. All the way from the insanely pale skin and pretty black eyes, the man was as beautiful as the woman was. He was her husband, too, judging by the rings they both wore.

Sora's brows pulled low in confusion. He was clearly hinting at the question that was yet to be asked. Despite that, no words were said as he looked back and forth between the three of us. I couldn't blame them. They . . . whoever they were . . . looked like me. Like looking into a strange mirror.

My metal-coloured eyes were a rarity, so why did this woman have the exact same shiny glint in hers?

The woman and her husband continued to stare at me. And I stared back. It was so bizarre. It was like one of those stories you hear about people meeting their doppelgangers. Older, way more beautiful versions of myself. Perhaps I had a common face. Did that explain all of this?

The woman shook her head, as if out of a trance, and bowed. "I'm sorry. You just . . . You just look a lot like our daughter. I'm Yue and this is my husband Akiba. We didn't mean any harm by all of the staring. I hope you're all right—"

"Sasuke," I interrupted with a timid smile. "My name is Sasuke."

If they were as creeped out as Sora looked, they were doing a good job at hiding it.

Her husband, Akiba, nodded. "Well, _Sasuke_ , we run an items shop in Town Square to help the Hollow Bastian Restoration Committee. You are all members, right? Do stop by if you need anything."

He and his wife left after that, leaving the four of us dumbfounded. _What the hell was that?_ Of course, it had to have been a pure coincidence that I ran into a married couple that looked like me in a world where I keep having unexplainable flashbacks. It seemed a little bit too staged for me. My mind wanted to run wild with fun possibilities, but my reasonable side knew that it could have happened to anyone.

Hell, even Riku had a lookalike. Back on the islands, there was this third-year at Destiny Islands High who looked like he could have been the boy's older brother. They had the same pale face, same short, silver hair, and same glowing turquoise eyes. Kadaj, I think his name was, but it pissed Riku off having to explain to everyone that they held no relation.

Donald scratched his head, deep in thought. "Yue and Akiba . . ."

Sora looked down at me with a raised brow. "They looked just like you. You have the same hair as Akiba and Yue . . . I'd recognize those eyes anywhere."

"You told us that you never knew your parents, right?" Goofy recalled.

I shook my head. "Yeah, but . . . You guys are reading too much into this. I have common features, is all. And even if I was somehow related to them, how would I have ended up on Destiny Islands if I'm from Hollow Bastian? Wouldn't I have already knew who Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith were? It makes no sense. It's a shot in the dark."

That made Goofy nod his head. "Well, she does have a point."

"I guess. It'd be kind of funny if they were, though. You wouldn't have gotten the height from them." Sora shrugged.

The boys laughed. They thought the joke was funny. I didn't. Huffing and crossing my arms over my chest, I walked through the districts with them, my cheeks puffed out in protest. _Jeez, you miss one growth spurt and you're automatically the runt of the group . . ._

* * *

 **"OW! SHIT, SORA!"**

My head jerked backwards with another wince. I had been moaning for the past ten minutes. Or twelve if we wanted to be exact. With every pull of the comb through my hair, a new wave of pain shot through my scalp. It was more tangled than we thought it out to be. Though, part of me was just glad that I didn't have to do it myself. Sora sat next to me with his tongue slowly swiping across his top lip, concentrating while he worked the tool through.

Every time I would wince, he would pull back in fear of hurting me. All that did was cause more trouble. Because my hair was attached to the comb in his hand, my head would snatch backwards, sending me crashing into his chest every time. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing—being this close to him. But, at this point in time, for the sake of the headache I was getting, I wanted him to sit on his side of the ship.

We were up in space. The bridges tying the worlds together. Swirls of blues, purples, and greens littered the darkness surrounding the Gummi Ship. Stars twinkled in the distance like grains of salt splashed across the sky. Then, there were Donald and Goofy, sitting up front and driving in protest of us never doing it again.

One thing they don't tell you about travelling is that it is awfully boring in space. There is very little to do in a vessel like this one. Of course, there was the option of engaging in actual conversation, but I was almost sixteen. Conversation didn't seem appealing. So, to waste time, Sora had made it his task to get my hair back to its normal sleek, manageable state. I didn't decline when he began to do the hard work for me. In fact, I had turned my back to him, and let my eyes drift close to catch up on sleep that I had missed.

Or, at least I thought I would, until he decided to be more rough than he was gentle.

Donald glanced back at the two of us through the rearview mirror. "Watch the language."

"Sorry about that, Donald."

Sora took the comb away from my head to put it down. His fingers immediately replaced it, though, forking through the dark strands in search of any leftover knots. He had divided my hair into sections to make it easier on the both of us. It was smart—something that I probably would have never thought of. Once he stopped running his hands through it, he pulled the finished half into a pigtail with a triumphant smile.

"One part down, one to go," he boasted.

Who would have guessed that the lazy bum knew was he was doing? He was doing a better job at doing my hair that I would have done alone. Then again, Sora himself wasn't bald. And neither was his mother, whose hair resembled mine in every way but colour. He knew what he was doing because he had been doing this for over fifteen years. With another lip-lick of concentration, he got back to work.

"We should go check up on Mulan," Goofy suddenly said.

Donald gave him a side glance. "We just came from there not too long ago. There are other worlds out there that need our help."

The dog just shrugged his lanky shoulders. "I know that. I just have a feeling that we should go back. Like our job there isn't completely done, ya know?"

"We should listen to him," I added.

Goofy had a natural instinct when it came to these things. Call it a sixth sense, if you will. He _was_ a blood hound, after all. He had a knack for telling when bad things were coming our way, and they were usually right. It was safer for us to not take any chances. And even if he didn't have that instinct, the field was a lot more durable when you listened to your gut.

As if realizing this, too, Donald sighed, turning the steering wheel to change the ship's course. "To see Mulan we go, then."

Sora used the tip of the comb to poke at another knot. "When should we be there?"

"In about twenty to thirty minutes."

"All right. That gives me enough time to deal with this . . ."

We didn't get a chance to ask the boy what he was talking about. As soon as his sentence began to trail off, he yanked the comb through the new heap of tangles. It was right in the center of my head. It was my most sensitive area; that one had to have hurt the most.

"OW! DAMN IT, SORA!"

* * *

 **WE ARRIVED IN** the same amount of time that Donald had promised. The familiar snowy mountains came into view just beyond the thick glass windows. Drops of snowflakes fell against the glass. It created unique patters, each one different from the last. They were not lying when they said no two snowflakes looked alike. It was beautiful, in a way. The way the wind blew them around—so strong that I felt it. The wind blew into the ship through the crack in the window. It was cold enough to cause goosebumps to prickle at my arms.

I seemed to be the only one focused on the cold weather. The boys were wrapped up in their own little activities. That was, until Donald landed the ship on a secluded part of the mountain. He instructed us to have a few looks around before we headed into the city. So we did, the four of us piling out in search of the army that we had once been a part of.

The burned down camp was only a few feet away from where we were. A sense of dread filled my stomach when Donald led us to it. It was where Shan-Yu's men had hurt General Shang. And nothing had changed there, either. Half-burned crimson flags still waved like a sad reminder of what once was. Ashes scattered the snow, telling the story of misery. It was a sad sight. I could only be grateful that every one of the soldiers had made it out of here.

Sora's shoes crunched the snow underneath them as he walked passed the camp entrance. His eyes scanned over all of the remaining pieces of blackened wood that stood around the camp. There was nothing that hadn't been kissed by the flames. His finger reached up to run over his eyebrows as if that would stop them from furrowing. We all knew that he didn't like the memories that were coming back to him.

He had been so upset when it happened. He thought the reason we were standing in a pile of ashes was his fault. That much was understandable. If we had just stayed a little longer instead of running off elsewhere, this camp could have still been standing. It was one of the first times that I had ever seen him genuinely . . . disappointed in himself, even though none of this was his fault. It was no one's fault other than the darkness in Shan-Yu's heart. It was sad to know that Sora couldn't see that for himself.

Goofy fells into step beside the boy. His face was frowned up in that worrying expression of his. Though we had left this world on good terms, there was still that unsettling feeling in our stomachs. Shan-Yu had been so close to bringing upon so much sorrow. It was hard to let it all go.

"I wonder how everybody's doin'," he seemed to say for all of us, for we had been silent since the moment we landed.

 _They're doing all right. Those guys were trained to be tough._ The corners of my lips—slightly beginning to get chapped from the cold—tilted up into a smile. No mind was paid to the now combed-through strands of hair blowing around my face in the wind. Mulan, Shang, the Emperor, they were all okay somewhere. Besides, Mulan was the heroine in her own right. There was no way anything serious could have happened while she was around. She was too brave and strong-willed for that.

"Look!"

My thoughts were cut off by Donald's shouting. His feathered hand pointed to something just beyond the burned down camp. The three of us turned to see what he was gesturing to . . . as did the cloak-wearing figure behind a pile of wood.

I felt it then . . . my breath catch in my lungs. My eyes went wide at the sight of the Organization member. The black hood thrown over their head shielded us from seeing who they really wore. That only made it so much creepier. Though, it was safe to say that we startled them more than they did us. It was clear in the way they stumbled backward, and sprinted off in the direction leading up the mountain, away from where we stood in the camp.

Sora didn't want him to get away. He didn't say a single word when he broke into a chase after him.

"Sora?!"

This was a new voice. It didn't belong to any of us. Yet, it was still recognizable. Sora stopped in his tracks to find out who it had come from. And almost as if she knew that I had been thinking about her, Mulan ran up to us.

Part of me had expected to see her dressed up as Ping. There was no point in it, though, I supposed. Her hair was still let down. It swung restlessly around her shoulders in that same bold cut. Her face was red from having ran through the good two inches of snow. She didn't look like she was in any danger. It was a good thing. That meant that everyone else was all right. We were worrying for nothing.

She leaned over to place her hands on her knees when she caught up to us. Huffing and puffing, she attempted to get the ahold of her breath.

"Mulan, hey," Sora greeted impatiently. "No time to talk. We gotta catch that guy!"

The older girl stood up to her full height with a nod. "I know. I'm after him, too."

That was all that she needed to say. The four of us exchanged no words as we ran through the camp after the cloaked man.

It was hard to run in the snow. I now noticed that. With every breath, my lungs filled up with the cold air. It was making my chest freeze. Not that it mattered right now. What mattered was that we caught up with that guy before he got away. Even though I didn't necessarily want to.

I didn't want anything to do with the Organization XIII. The mere sight of them sent shivers down my spine for some reason. And it wasn't like they were scary. You couldn't be afraid of a face that you've never really dealt with. But, it was just the thought of them, their presence that made them so unsettling. Who knew why they struck a chord with me? All that I knew was that I wanted them gone and far away from me. Even if that meant having to chase after them to defeat them once and for all.

We caught sight of the man halfway up the mountain. He was running to get higher and higher up. Sora wasted no time in sprinting after him; he was running so fast that he had left us behind. But, then he had stopped, his chest heaving up and down, and his gaze darting left and right. I knew then that we had lost the man. Whoever he was, he had been fast enough to escape Sora: one of the three fastest runners I'd ever met. That wasn't good. Either the man had powers, or he was far more trained that we hoped he would be.

"He got away." Mulan sighed when we caught up to the brunet.

Sora put a hand on his right shoulder before rolling it around. He wasn't even collapsing. If it had been me who tried to run that fast in the snow, I would have fell by now, wheezing about how I was exhausted. _Boys were built to be bigger and stronger_ , Aerith had once told me, but this was ridiculous.

"How come you're after somebody from the Organization Thirteen?" Goofy asked Mulan.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "What is that?"

Sora let go of his shoulder, then, pointed a calloused thumb up the mountain where the man had disappeared. "The man in black."

"One of the bad guys," Donald added in.

"I knew it." Mulan rested her hands on her hip in a disbelief. "There's a rumor in the Imperial City about a spy in black, lurking in the mountains. I'd been up here tracking him, but when you arrived, I lost him."

"Sorry . . ." Goofy sighed sadly.

She waved him off with a girly giggle. "Don't apologize. But I do wonder where he went."

"Hopefully far away," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

Sora sent me a look. He knew how much I didn't like the Organization. Ever since our first encounter with them in the bailey—the first time that I ever hid behind him instead of jumping into the fight—he's gotten the hints about how much they bothered me. But, it was okay. His look was reassuring. I could almost hear him telling me that they couldn't do anything to me. _I could almost believe that._

However, the chat suddenly went dead. My gaze followed to where Mulan was staring with wide eyes. Atop of the snowy mountain hill, a swarm of Heartless were getting ready to spill over. It was like the first time that had happened with Shan-Yu. There had to be hundreds of them. Way too many to fight.

Sighing, Donald slumped his shoulders. "Again?"

Our distaste for the impending fight was ignored by the Heartless. The flying creatures wasted no time in diving toward us. They flew over the snowy hillside in groups too big for us to handle one by one. Yet, it was good that it was only them. Even though they were all powerful, there was something absentminded about these regular Heartless. It would have been another sob story had it been higher level monsters or Nobodies.

My fingers clenched up into a fist as I called upon my Keyblade. The handle appeared in my hand seconds later with a flash of light. We were going to have to fight these things; it was the only way. Mulan, the boys, and I shared a node before we ran off into battle. _Boy, was this this biggest case of déjà vu I've ever had._

Sora didn't join us when we left to go fight. His body stood there, almost frozen it appeared, in the snow falling around him. His expression had twisted up in confusion. Whether or not it had been because of the ambush or the mysterious man, I did not know. Without a word to us about the thoughts running through his head, he turned around, his eyes going wide once he seen the hooded man standing a few feet away.

I had dodged an attack to call after him. None of us knew what that guy was capable off. He was fast—faster than all of us, that was for sure. It wouldn't be such a surprise if he was stronger than us as well. Something told me to help Sora. But, it didn't matter because he was ignoring me. All of his focus was directed on the man.

"Hey! You!" he shouted, pointing his Kingdom Key at the man. "Quit sneaking around!"

The man didn't say anything in reply. He simply summoned his own weapon as if Sora had challenged him to a fight with all of his yelling. Though, what had shocked me was that . . . the weapon could have been a Keyblade. Unlike other versions of the weapon, this one didn't resemble an actual key in the slightest. It was more like a batwing-shaped sword if anything. It was enough to defend him nonetheless. So, the man got into a fighting stance, and prepared to duel with the brunet.

I took a small step forward. The Heartless floating around us suddenly seemed unimportant compared to the battle that was about to take place.

"Sora—" I tried.

He brushed me off once again, getting into his fighting stance. "You guys handle the Heartless."

He wanted to fight on his own. Despite how impractical that was, part of me knew that he could hold his own. He was stronger than me, anyways. It wasn't as if I could contribute a lot to the fight if I had joined. I would have just got in his way. Nodding to show him that I got the message, I got to work helping Goofy with his side of the swarm.

The only way that we could attack the flying creatures was if we jumped in the air and swung. The Heartless had the advantage of flight. It was a trait that none of us had. It was making things difficult when it came to close range combat.

Mulan rushed to my side when a swarm of them dived at me. She had begun to help me take them out without a hint of hesitation. It was strange. The teenage girl we had met when we first came here would have fought clumsily and reluctantly. Now, here she was, defeating them as if she had been training for this her whole life. It was good to see that she had progressed in such a short amount of time. But, then again, she was a woman, and I was sure that she could do anything she set that smart mind of hers to.

She must have understood that her father's sword wasn't really of any use against the Heartless. It still did damage, just not as much as our weapons did. And that was okay—her determination was needed. Donald summoned a hoard of thunderstorms when he noticed that it was taking her a bit longer to defeat them than usual. There were six bright lights . . . then, over one fourth of the mob was gone. It was a large dent compared to what their numbers just were.

I had been so wrapped up in finishing up the fight as quickly as possible. It had gone completely over my head that the Heartless were starting to vanish on their own. It wasn't until I was mid-swing had I realized that there was no fight to continue on. The Heartless—all of them, including the one that had been on the receiving end of my attack—had disappeared as if they were never there in the first place. My body stumbled a bit from how much force I had put into the attack only for it to come in contact with air. Where had hundreds of Heartless vanished to in a matter of seconds?

I glanced over to where Sora had been fighting with the mysterious man. They were no longer engaged in some epic combat. Instead, there were staring at each other. Both of them were growing tired. We could tell by how heavy they were breathing, fogs surfacing from their breaths in the cold air.

And who knew how long that silence lasted. The two of them could have been staring at each other forever. It was hard to tell what they were staring at. The man's face was shielded away with his hood. It wasn't as if Sora could see who he was . . . Or could he?

My shoes crunched against the snow when I took a step closer. The sound must have startled the man. His head darted in my direction before he turned around, sprinting to get away from us. Not that it did him any good. As soon as he moved, Sora took off running after him, muttering a name that was as clear as day to me through the silence . . .

"Riku?"

During my early childhood—as early as I could remember, at least—there were moments when I had difficulty breathing. There was a time where I wouldn't talk to anyone except for Riku's mother and Sora's father. Sora's mother had deemed the phenomenon as a side effect of having lost my memories. Of being found on the second island without a clue as to how I got there. _A terrible case of a frail body and confused soul_ , she had called it. Perhaps that's where Riku's mother's constant care of me had come from: my breathing problems. Though, after years of sports and support, I had never had that problem . . . until now.

They say that you gain the traits of people that you surround yourself with the most. My dramatic trait had definitely been inherited from my best friend. It was a curse that Kairi had no problem passing off. It was also the reason why my breathing felt labored, and my heart was now beating faster with excitement. Was that man really Riku? Was that man the person that I considered family? If there was a chance that he was, I wasn't going to miss it.

My legs felt numb as I chased Sora down the mountain. My thigh-high socks were doing nothing to protect me from the snow. It was cold; the temperature easily could have been in the negatives. It was making my lungs sting. So much so that when I had caught up to him, my hands rested on my knees, and my body hunched over, struggling to get a full breathe.

Sora was staring in the direction that the hooded man had ran off to. Whoever it was, they must not have wanted to be discovered. That was apparent in how fast they ran whenever Sora was after them. He ran a hand through his hair. It caused white flakes of snow to fall out of the strands. Though it didn't look like it, the cold weather had made an impact on him, too.

Donald walked over cautiously when they reached us. "Are you okay, Sora?"

"Did ya get 'im?" Goofy asked.

"Hmm?" Sora turned around to face them, shaking his head as if to escape his own thoughts. "Oh—he's gone."

It was Donald's turn to shoot the boy a strange look. "What? You lost him?!"

I stood up to my full length again as Sora sheepishly scratched the back of his head. It was easier to breathe now that I had gotten a little rest. It was a sign of my laziness. That vacation must have gotten me out of shape. Or, if we were going to tell the truth, I was probably out of shape way before that. It was just now catching up with me.

"Anyway . . ." Sora glanced up at the sky. "What do we do now?"

"I think that we better get rid of all the Heartless first," Goofy answered.

Before we could agree with him, the mountain began to shake underneath us. It was beyond me how the mountain itself felt like it was moving. It felt like an earthquake. My hand darted out to grab Goofy's elbow so that I wouldn't fall over from the sudden shaking. Not that he seemed to have minded. He was busy looking around the snow-covered hills as if something had been the cause of it.

His elbow was released from my grip when it stopped. The mountain stood still like it had never shook. It reminded me of the way the Hundred Acre Wood shook when the book had been disrupted. This surely couldn't have been one of those cases. Whatever this was, I doubted it had anything to do with Heartless.

Mulan's brows rose with a newfound interest. "What was that?" she asked no one in particular. "Come on, we better get off the mountain."

They nodded. We began walking down to where we once started with the agreement of leaving. Though, before we had the chance to get far, I reached out to grab onto Sora's hand. He turned his head, looking down at me through his snow-covered lashes. That same defeated expression still rested on his face. But it also held a hint of wonder, as if mentally asking me why I wanted to speak with him. It should have been obvious. There had to have been a reason he had done all of that. He just wasn't telling me, or any of us.

"Did you call out Riku's name?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

For some reason, Riku was such a touchy subject for me. He was my friend, of course, and so was Kairi. But, I had no problem talking about the redhead. It was him who made my mood turn sour. Perhaps it was because we knew Kairi was safe at the islands. She would be a second-year in high school by now. Unlike her, no one knew where or what happened to Riku. I guess that was why I was more concerned about him.

Sora broke my stare—something that he never did. His eyes gazed ahead with a hint of disappointment. "That's another story for another time."

I understood what that meant. Whatever happened, he'd fill me in on it later. Hell, he himself probably wasn't even all too sure of what had just happened. So, instead of talking about it further, the two of us walked down the mountain, watching as Mulan, Donald, and Goofy chatted ahead without us. It didn't bother me that he was pulling me ahead. The whole time he had made no move to let go of my hand.

He looked so wrapped up in his thoughts. It was strange considering that just a few hours ago, he was playing dead so that he wouldn't have to get up. His mood changed a lot, and I found myself always trying to decipher his thoughts and actions. Nothing he did had ties to something else he did. It was all based on how he felt at the particular moment. And I supposed, at this moment, he just felt like holding my hand.

His hand had to be almost twice the size of mine. His fingers were warm opposed to the cold air. I wasn't really objecting to it. It was just that part of me had expected for him to have let me go a while ago. But, he didn't. He kept his hand steady secured around mine as if it was part of his thought process. Then, like he had finally made a decision, he pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth.

"I . . . _thought_ I saw Riku," he murmured. "You must . . . care about him a lot, huh?"

Where had that question come from? Was that what he was thinking to himself this whole time? It wasn't a reason for him to look so defeated—like he had lost some war with an invisible opponent.

My mouth opened to answer him, but was cut off by another earthquake. Our hands had broken apart, then, mine reaching out for his bicep to steady myself with instead. This one wasn't as bad as the first. However, it was just as shocking. This time around, something large arose out of the snow. It was a Heartless. Another flying one. It flapped its large wings to boost itself high into the air. It was ironic seeing as how I betted this had nothing to do with the monsters only minutes ago.

We got on guard in case the Heartless decided to pick a fight. It didn't. Rather, it flew over our heads, heading down the mountain without the slightest interest in the five of us. Donald could be heard letting out a sigh of relief. However, I didn't know what was worse . . . because the city was just beyond this mountain.

"It's heading for the city," Mulan pointed out, urgency covering her smooth voice. "We've got to warn Shang!"

She didn't have to tell us twice. No more words were exchanged as we started down the mountain in pursuit of the giant Heartless. And, unfortunately, Sora's question had gone unanswered.

* * *

 **3rd Person P.O.V.**

* * *

 **GENERAL SHANG'S SHOULDER** collided with the delicately polished palace floors as he fell from the steps. The contact caused a loud thus to echo throughout the main room. It could have been damaged from the sound of it. Enough force had been in that fall for his shoulder to have been knocked out of place. It was the moment he was thankful for the heavy armor the troops had to wear. Without it, he would have been without an arm in this battle.

He let out a groan, shifting his weight in attempt to get up. His body was aching badly all over. He had been fighting for so long that it was starting to grow exhausted on him. But, none of that mattered. What mattered was the cloaked man standing at the top of the steps, holding his sword-like weapon tightly in his hand, and glaring down at Shang with such obvious distaste.

The man didn't look like he was from this world. His clothing was a dead giveaway. He was dressed like an outsider. People of this land generally held the traditional Chinese features. The dark hair, thin, dark eyes, the man had none of it. Even the way he fought wasn't something that they taught in the army here.

Shang had tried his best to defeat him when he had broken into the palace. Outsiders weren't welcome without permission for safety reasons, he had told him. That was right before the man had gone into a frenzy of quick-paced attacks. He had never seen such speed. One blink the man was in front of him—the next he was behind him getting ready to attack. Because of that, the man had a huge power against him.

As he shuffled groggily onto his feet, he found himself wondering who the hell this guy was. _What the hell he was._ The skills he possessed were almost inhuman. Either he must have had years of training, or this person wasn't a person at all.

The cloaked man scoffed. He saw no reason in fighting the general any longer. It was clear that the man was far too exhausted to put up a good fight. If they were to continue to battle, Shang would have ended up with more than a hurt shoulder. That much he knew. No longer having any interest, he turned to come face to face with the elderly Emperor.

The Emperor was the target of so many criminals out there. As royalty usually was. It was nothing new. It was the reason why he had managed to remain so calm during the situation. This wouldn't have been the first time someone had tried to reach him. It certainly wouldn't have been the last, either.

But, when the cloaked man moved his hood a bit to stare right into the Emperor's eyes, the old man finally felt the tiniest twinge of fear. This man didn't look like anyone he had ever seen before.

Was it really possible for a person to look so . . . bright, yet dark at the same time?

* * *

 **This chapter has been done for about a few days now. The only reason it hasn't been edited and uploaded is because I have had tonsillitis, and haven't been doing much of anything these days. But, I'm better now, and we can continue on with the story! I'm also going to be going back and editing "You're The One Who Will Open The Door," so you can go back and reread that if you want to see the newer version of it.**

 **Also, Mulan was my favourite Disney princess growing up. I get so happy writing about her. So, I was thinking about adding Mulan II (the second movie's storyline) into the story later on. What do you guys think about that? Would that be interesting or would that seem to drag The Land of Dragons on? Let me know, please :)**

 **~ Insane**


	18. Unanswered Questions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: UNANSWERED QUESTIONS**

 **SASUKE**

 **"I was jealous . . . until I realized that there was nothing to fret over."  
\- Unknown  
**

* * *

 **THE CITY WAS** quiet.

It was warm down here. Enough so that I could no longer feel the goosebumps prickling at my arms. The mountain had managed to keep all of the snow up there for itself, leaving the city below with the warm breeze that blew along the scent of food. A few food stalls stood unoccupied around the streets despite the sun beginning to hide behind graying clouds. However, even though they were open, we had yet to see anyone.

Nothing seemed too out of the usual other than the fact that the citizens were all in their homes. Usually in a big city such as this one, everyone would be out and about. They would be finding something interesting to do to occupy their time. But, not today. It was almost completely empty as we walked through the city streets to get to the palace.

At the time, I chose not to ask any questions about it. Maybe they were all tired. Maybe there was some tradition going on that required everyone to stay out of the streets. Now, thinking back on it, I guessed it made a lot of sense.

The silence didn't let up when we had reached the Imperial Square. The palace stood a few feet away—not a sign of life inside from what I could see. Lights weren't even on. The front doors were shut to keep anyone from getting in unnoticed. Even the little, red, paper lanterns that they had hung around the entrance during Mulan's ceremony were unlit.

Flashbacks of Shan-Yu came to mind. It brought a smile to my face. It was the front entrance where I had kicked Shan-Yu in the face with all of the might I had to save the Emperor. That, easily, was one of my fondest memories here. _You're so violent sometimes_ , I could almost hear Selphie's voice saying.

Goofy glanced around the area with raised eyebrows. It still hadn't occurred to me that things felt a little off with no one being around. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts and affairs to notice the off-putting vibes. It was like the palace had been abandoned. Mulan had realized this like he had. She took a few steps away from us, her dark eyes roaming in searched of something that wasn't there. There was no telling where everyone had gone. All that I knew was that it was terribly quiet.

Sora scratched at his chin in confusion. "Huh? Everything's fine."

I had expected for things to have gone array during our walk here. The Heartless that had fled here from the mountain didn't appear the least bit friendly. And while that thought was crossing my mind, where in the hell _was_ that thing? Had it simply up and vanished like the hundred other Heartless that we were fighting earlier did? I doubted it. That thing looked too big and vicious for us to _not_ have to fight it off.

"Well, now . . ."

Our heads turned side to side in search of where the voice had come from. A part of me didn't know what to expect in a world like this one. But, the other part recognized that gritty voice. As if confirming my suspicions, Shorty, Lanky, and Baldy approached us with smug faces.

The three of them were fitted in their army gear as if they had just gotten back from fighting. They looked tired. Not in the sleepy sense, but in the physically exhausted way. It wasn't like they could have been doing much. They never did anything else other than bringing tools to start avalanches, and keeping me locked inside of the palace.

Shorty crossed his muscular arms over his chest when he laid eyes on Sora. His nose was still a bit bruised from their last encounter. It was barely noticeable, though, which was good in the long run. He cracked a little smirk to show that he was glad to see us. Or, at least, I thought that he was because Baldy was giving me a large, friendly smile. Smiling back up at him, I gave him a little wave. He was the only one of the three men who didn't irk me every now and then.

"Look who decided to show up," Shorty said with an unconvincing tone of displeasure.

Donald let out a scoff. "What? Is that a problem?"

"Nah." Baldy, whose name I had yet to learn, shook his head. "We're just glad you're not in black cloaks."

 _Black cloaks?_ If they knew about that, they must have seen the man that we were chasing after. He must have fled the mountains to escape into the city. In a way, it was a smart idea. The populated area would give him a chance to blend in with the many civilians. But, seeing as how he stood out like a sore thumb in this place, and that no one was out on the streets, I guessed his plan didn't work out too well.

"You've seen him?" I asked the three older men.

"Yeah, kid," Shorty answered with a nod. "He's in the palace."

"I'm not a kid!

"Yeah, yeah. Just get going."

I saw no point in putting up a fight about my age with the man. Whatever he set his mind to, he wasn't going to change that opinion. If I were to argue with him, it could have lasted all day. Especially since topics like that, such as my age and height, sparked my irritation. He wasn't going to let go of the fact that I was younger than him. What was the use?

The steps leading up to the entrance were long and plentiful. There were so many—enough to cause my thighs to burn from how much they were working. In times like this, burning muscles were the last things that were on our minds. The mysterious man had broken his way inside of the palace. It was where the Emperor resided. There was a chance that he was in trouble whether our thighs burned or not.

The palace entrance was exquisite. Stone statues of lions stood tall on either side of the nine-foot-tall double doors. Red, unlit paper lanterns decorated the entrance much like they did the rest of the city. Marble pillars stood high—a dark burgundy to match the rest of the palace's intricate designs. Everything had a sort of oriental flair to it, even the rooftops, which curled upwards in the corners.

The last time that we were here, everything was happening so fast. We were bouncing one place to the next because of how fast-paced the action here was. That meant that we didn't have the opportunity to sit here and look around. And now that we did—because God knew how long those stairs were—I was in awe at how pretty this place was.

The doors were still shut when we reached the top of the steps. The golden handles were switched into their lock positions to signify that they didn't want anyone getting inside. That alone wasn't enough to stop the boys. The three of them charged at the double doors, banging their balled up fists on it as they shouts words of protest.

Mulan and I stopped to survey the area while they raged at the door. Nothing else here was too out of the ordinary. It was much like the rest of the city had been. Nothing moved. Nothing happened. It would have been completely silent had the boys no been pounding a few inches away.

Sora's hands latched onto the golden doorknobs. A strained groan pushed passed his teeth as he attempted to pull them open. It wasn't doing much. The most that it did was pull them apart a few centimeters. Even he was not strong enough to knock the heavy doors off of their hinges.

"C'mon, open up!" he grumbled.

It didn't matter how long the three of them beat on the door. They could have kicked, clawed, and punched chips in the wood all that they wanted. Whoever was beyond them didn't want to open it for us. And why would they have? We were the group of good guys here to soil the bad guys' plans. Locking their door was their way of getting one step closer to what they wanted.

Mulan's thin, dark eyes looked around in search of another way for us to get inside. There weren't many. The palace itself had no windows or other forms of ventilation; it was all shut off except for the front doors. The windows that it _did_ have were too high for us to reach.

"Over here!" the girl suddenly called out.

She pointed a slim finger to one of the thick, burgundy pillars holding the building up. The one that she was pointing to, more specifically, led up to an open window on the second floor. It was a flaw in the building's design. The window could have easily been reached if someone were to climb up for it.

The thought hadn't only crossed my mind. Goofy rushed over to the pillar with a new interest. He felt around the pillar in search of a steady grip on it. One thing that I had been concerned about was whether or not it would have been hard to grab onto it. It was a flat surface, after all. The dog's fingers latched onto it; apparently it wasn't too hard. Letting out a small groan, he started his ascension upward.

Donald followed him. I was the next one to go once the duck began climbing. My nails scraped against the pillar, but it was nothing too difficult for me to handle. Finding a steady grip was simple. Mulan motioned for Sora to climb ahead before she did. He didn't look all too sure with leaving the girl for last, though, after a bit of urging, he did as she had directed him to. And with that, we all made our way up.

The window at the top led to a long hallway inside. The length of it was aligned with the same red lanterns and burgundy pillars as the outside was. Intricate symbols of another language adorned the brown-sh walls. The flooring, a golden brown tile, was polished to the point of reflection. At either ends of the hall were nine-foot-tall doors. They were much like the ones outside with the giant, golden handles. The only difference was that these sets of double doors had emblems of golden dragons across them.

The door at the back of the hallway was the easiest to see based upon how we were positioned. They were closed just like the other set. But, unlike the other doors, the mysterious man that we had been chasing down stood in front of them. He was examining them as if he were looking for some greater meaning beyond the wood.

He hadn't heard the five of us arrive at the window, by the looks of it. His head did not turn at all when we squeezed through the opening and hopped onto the floor, trying not to hurt ourselves in the several foot drop. It was fine. Even when Donald yelped and fell onto the floor. He hadn't landed as gracefully as we had, but, somehow, all of that noise was still not enough to grab the man's attention.

The man's hands moved to pry the double doors open. He was planning to leave somewhere further in this place. It was common sense to know that if he left, there was a chance that we could lose him again. This palace was huge. There were so many doors and turns; it would take forever to find him.

Our shoes pounded against the tile flooring to get to him. We no longer cared about being sneaky. We cared about losing the man from the Organization XIII.

"Wait!" Mulan shouted.

He must not have known that we were there. His frame jumped from fright at the sound of her voice. He knew that he was caught. Turning slowly, he faced us with a sort of regret. It was as if he had been planning on not getting caught. Which was understandable. But, he looked like a toddler who had just got caught red-handed with a piece of candy. He looked . . . guilty almost.

Sora's body went stiff beside Mulan. He didn't say a single word. The subtle breathes blowing past his lips were strained. His fingertips were shaking with the need to be cracked—another nervous habit that he had developed no matter how bad we told him it was. His legs wobbled a bit as he took a few steps forward. Eyebrows pulled low on his face, eyes clouded over with something unrecognizable, he reached out a timid hand, and uttered . . .

"Riku?"

Donald and Goofy shared a look. _Riku?_ The man that we were hunting down was him after all.

I found myself walking over to meet up with the two of them. The excitement was beginning to wash over me again. At least, until the man reached up to pull the hood off of his head.

It wasn't Riku. It was someone else. It was a man who none of us had seen before. He was way older than us, I assumed. His hair was in a long, black ponytail, graying in the front where his widow's peak dipped. His dark brows were pulled low in a sneer. His tanned face was ridden with old battle scars. The most noticeable one started at his jaw and went all the way up to his eye . . . the one that wasn't covered by an eyepatch. It was an unnatural shade of yellow to go along with his cat-like pupils.

"No," the man's gruff voice told us. "Never heard of him."

It was like those were his summoning words. Four twitching, white and purple Nobodies began to spawn around us. They were standing sideways as if gravity did not apply to them. Bow guns with sharp arrows were clutched in their hands.

They had been called here by the man. We knew because he smirked once they aimed their arrows at Sora. The man sent us a goodbye wave before he left through the doors, slamming it behind him. He had left us with his Nobodies. Now, we were going to have to fight them. _Lovely._

"Damn it," I mumbled, summoning my Keyblade. "I hate these things."

Something that I'd learned from fighting Nobodies was that they had no rules. Nothing applied to them. They didn't believe in the laws of physics. Gravity was a foreign concept to them. I remembered that when I swung my weapon at one and it flew out of the way. They also did not have any bones. They could stretch or shrink themselves as they wished. It made them way harder to fight than the Heartless. They were such slippery opponents.

I stuck to using my magic against them. It was something that I rarely did in battle these days. Using my Keyblade was just so much easier to me. It was faster. Magic required so much focus and concentration, things that could be put toward strength attacks. That's how it was. Donald was our magical outlet, Goofy was our defense, and Sora and I were the offensive team. It had always been that way.

Fireballs blazed in their directions. Luckily, there were only four of them. They were outnumbered by the five of us. They were difficult to fight, but we still had the upper hand. And after only ten minutes of battle, the last one vanished underneath Goofy's shield.

Sora made his Keyblade disappear once the coast was clear. His arms crossed to rest over his chest. He wasn't talking. Not a word came from him. He didn't even attempt one of those telepathic communications he tried to do with us every now and then. He just looked . . . irritated and upset.

"I can't stay here," Mulan broke the silence by saying. "I'm worried about Shang."

I couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled out. "Her boyfriend."

"What?! I didn't even tell you guys."

"You didn't have to. It's obvious." I picked at a lock of my hair with a sad sigh. "I guess that wasn't Riku after all."

Goofy put his shield away with a sympathetic look. "Sorry, Sora."

Then, Sora did something that I never would have predicted him to do in a million years. He scoffed so hard that I thought it was a growl and walked away from us. His arms were still folded. In fact, his hands were balling up into fists where they were tucked away. As soon as I noticed them, there was a popping noise as he cracked his knuckles.

"I'm not the one that you should be apologizing to."

We didn't say anything as he marched through the double doors on the other side of the hallway. His attitude—so fierce and unexpected—had left a sour note in the atmosphere. Whatever the hell was getting on his nerves . . . it must have finally pissed him off to the fullest extent. But, the bad thing was . . . he still managed to look cute.

There was no use in playing it down. Sora wasn't cute. He was stunning. It was in that born-that-way sort of way—the natural good-looks that few people had been born with. How could anyone be that good-looking? It was unsettling, the way that his brows furrowed when he was angry.

Flawless. He was flawless. Beautiful. Adorable. Attractive. Hot. All of it. Every single one of those adjectives, he was, and I was confused on why I had been so oblivious to it for so long.

Everyone else knew it. He had been popular on the islands for a reason. He was the guy that teenage girls cried over. The guy that they wished upon stars for a chance to hold his hand. He was the guy that received love letters in his locker every week from secret admirers too afraid to explain how great he was to his face. It never occurred to me why he his backpack was always filled with pink letters. Now I knew why.

Because I liked my best friend. Not in the way that I had before. It was the kind of like that made me want to see his smile over my own happiness. It was the kind of like that made me want to give him what I could, and to be there for him when he needed me. The kind of like that made me not want to be his friend . . . but something more important to him, I supposed.

What had happened to me? When did this become okay? It wasn't. Sora was my best friend. He probably saw him as a sister that he had to get back home. The thought made my heart ache. Nothing would ever become of the two of us. He had so many girls that he could have at the blink of an eye. Why would he want the short girl who had ended up a part of this story uninvited? Why would he ever . . . think of me as anything other . . . than his friend?

Though I wanted nothing more than to think about the what-if's, we had bigger problems than my unrequited crush. The Emperor and Shang were in here alone. They were without more security. Who knew what could have happened to them without back up? So, not commenting on the sudden change in mood, we followed after Sora.

Beyond the double doors was the Emperor's throne room. Golden dragons littered the area like they were signs of royalty. It was dark save for the lights signing on the gold tones around the room. And right in the middle sat a burgundy throne. It was the throne in which the Emperor sat. An annoyed-looking Shang stood at his side to guard him. Neither of them looked harmed. They were both all right. That meant that they must not have been bothered by the hooded man yet. It was what I was hoping for.

Mulan's face visibly brightened up at the sight of Shang. As did his. It was like he found something valuable that he had once lost. The amount of concern they had for each other was almost admirable in a way. It was the look of love that I had been witness to many times throughout our journey. The look of connecting hearts. It was something beautiful all in itself.

Anyone, whether they personally knew the two or not, could have guessed that they were a couple. When it had happened, though, was the real question.

She stood in front of the Emperor to bow her head. "Your Excellency! Shang! Something terrible has happened! We saw a huge monster fly out of the mountains and toward the city!"

"Ahh." The old man stroked his long, gray beard. "So it is as the young man said. Isn't that right, Captain?"

Shang, whom had been grinning the whole time, tore his eyes away from Mulan to nod. "Y-Yes, your Excellency."

"You see, a young stranger visited us not long ago," The Emperor explained. "The Captain fought the visitor, but was quickly defeated."

"To my dishonor." Shang was trying not to glare at the man.

"It seems that young man was the one in black that I have heard whispers about," the Emperor added.

The man in the black cloak that we had just met wasn't young at all. He was around his forties from the looks of it. If that was the case, was there a possibility that there was another one around here? Could that one have been the boy that we were looking for?

"Did he mention the name Riku?" I asked, a little bit too frantic.

Sora was standing a bit away from up—more toward Shang than he was us. His arms were still folded over his chest, and that iconic scowl still danced across his features. He glanced at me through the corner of his eye once I mentioned our best friend's name. His eyes were so squinted that anyone could have guessed them to be closed. If it weren't for the vibrant blue of his irises, I would have.

The Emperor frowned a bit. "He didn't offer his name to us. He was actually rather rude."

"Rude? Then it _was_ Riku!"

Sora popped his index finger in his balled up fist. "So why is there two guys here wearing Organization cloaks? Did you see where he went?"

Shang and the Emperor shook their heads. Their knowledge on the boy was scarce from the sound of it. They only knew what he had told them. Knowing him, it wasn't a lot that he gave up in the first place.

"But why would he come here?" Mulan asked no one in particular.

Who knew the answer to that? That question was beyond me. It was hard to figure out Riku's intentions nowadays. Especially since the last time that I talked to him, he was holding me hostage while he tried to open Kingdom Hearts. The memory made me grimace, but it still happened whether I wanted it or not. He was one of the biggest mysteries to us. One day he was missing, the next he was here. One day he was evil, the next he was on our side. It was hard to keep up with.

Before we had the opportunity to continue the conversation any further, the ground began to shake. It was another one of the earthquakes that took place on the mountains. It shook so hard that even the burgundy pillars going from the floor to the ceiling shook.

Shang instantly went to Mulan's side to steady her. His arms wrapped around her almost protectively, as if letting her go could kill her. Goofy and Sora stumbled around trying to keep their balance. My hands reached out to grab onto Donald. Steadying myself against him was the first thing that had come to mind. But, it didn't do much considering that he was smaller than me. It made the both of us stumble over with the violent vibrations. He glared his dark eyes at me once it stopped, telling me to stay a foot away from him at all times from now on.

Shang released Mulan as quick as he had held her. He wasn't a publically affectionate person, I concluded, because the look on his face explained it all. Though he had let her go, he wanted to make sure he was all right. His pride as a General just wasn't going to allow him to. _Stupid, Shang. That's your girlfriend for goodness sake!_

Mulan shook her head after readjusted herself. "We'll go check outside for the cause of this."

"Mulan!" Shang called, must not having liked that idea.

"Shang, guard the Emperor. I'll be fine with them."

The Emperor nodded in agreement. "Indeed. That is true: We need not worry while you protect us."

Shang got prepared to protest some more, but we didn't give him the chance. We bolted out of the room so fast that I had almost tripped in the process. Donald was the one to close the door. He shut it with a slam, muttering apologies about how that was rude. We could hear Shang yelling from inside of the room. The image of Mulan fighting against more Heartless was troubling to him. It was cute. I was happy for them.

 _More jealous, if anything._

The way to the front doors was confusing. Just like I had predicted, the palace was filled with many halls and rooms. It was easy to get lost within the gold and burgundy interior. The only reason we had figured it out was because Mulan was well aware of where she was going. She knew this place like the back of her hand, so she had joked. She must have been here a lot during the time we were gone. Being the hero of China could grant you that privilege, I guessed.

The front doors were like a light in the dark. They were so big and obvious—it made me wonder how we ever could have got lost in here. A block of wood rested in between the doors to keep them from opening. It was why we couldn't get it. Donald said something about how he had expected a more complex lock. But, no . . . it was wood. Goofy lifted it out of the way and set it beside the door. Nothing complicated about wood at all.

I helped Mulan push opened one of the huge doors not that they weren't being blocked. It was heavier than we had thought. The two of us had to throw all of our weight into it for it to slide open. Our shoulders coaxed it further and further apart, our feet sliding against the polished tiles. However, we weren't able to get it open all of the way. Something sprang out at us from the other side of the door. It was the Heartless from the mountain—the cause of all the sudden earthquakes. Mulan's hand yanked at my shirt collar to move me out of the way before it could attack us at the door.

"We have to get going!" she shouted.

That was like our battle cry of some sorts. None of us disagreed with her. None of us put up a fight. We all ran out into the courtyard to witness the monster. We had chased it all the way over here. We knew a fight was going to happen regardless. It was good that it was sooner rather than later . . . for the citizens' sakes.

The dragon-like creature was using its wings to glide around in the air above us. It circled the area a few times until it dove down right for us. Grabbing a hold of Donald, I leaped the both of us out of the way in time. As did everyone else, for I didn't hear the sound of anyone getting hurt during the surprise attack. I stood up out of my crouch just as it was about to take off into the air again. It flapped its wings high and mighty. It was going to fight us in a way it knew we couldn't fight back.

I sucked in a gasp of shock when Sora began to chase after it. He was using all of the speed he had to catch up with the flying monster. His hand reached out for its tail. With a jump, he pulled himself up onto the monster. Mulan followed right after him, and the two of them took off into the air, holding onto the thing for dear life.

A drop from that high could only mean death. Sora really was one for risking his life in battle. That was one thing that I didn't like all too much about him. _If something was to happen, what would I do, then?_

Sora relentlessly attacked the head of the monster while they rode around on it. It flew around trying to get them off of its back. It spiraled through the air and did flips that acrobats would have envied. None of it was working. Every time it spun, the two of them would clutch onto one of the many horns along the length of its back.

There wasn't much that we could do with it flying in the air. It was a good few meters up. Way too far for us to use our weapons against it. There was no way that my Keyblade would have been of use in this fight. Donald had chosen the magic route, though. His attacks were reaching up there. So, I joined him, calling upon thunder storms and blazing fireballs to help them out.

But, the Heartless had its own tricks up its sleeve. It sent out bolts of energy to the ground level to hit Donald, Goofy, and me. We sprinted—trying to dodge them while we shot magic at the same time. All the while Mulan and Sora brought constant attacks on the monster's head. It was like we were their diversion. It seemed more focused on us rather than the ones actually doing damage.

It dove for the ground once more. This time, Sora was too busy attacking it to notice what it was trying to do. Its body rolled around in a spiral, and the teenager was sent crashing toward the ground. Goofy caught him in his arms bridal style, luckily, before he could collide with the concrete. With Sora now down here with the rest of us and Mulan in the air, it was going to be a lot more difficult. Realizing that, I grabbed onto its tail to climb on with her. It growled in frustration; a new person was on its back.

Most of the horns on its long body were gold. It was odd to see one purple-coloured horn sitting atop of its head. That must have had something different about it. It was probably the reason why Mulan and Sora were attacking it so much.

Sora got to helping Donald with his magic attacks as the two of us girls kept striking. It turned its body to do a backflip in the air. My hand had been slow to grab onto one of the many horns. It almost resulted in me falling to a terrible fate . . . _almost._ I gripped onto a horn before my body fell through the air. How did they do this for so long? All of this turning and spinning was beginning to make my stomach plummet.

The Heartless decided to shoot down energy onto the fighters below again. It flew closer to the ground to get a better shot at the four boys. Donald and Goofy—having already knew what to expect—dodged the bolts coming their way. But, Sora—whom had no idea that the Heartless could do that—was clueless to it. He was going to get hit. And what was I supposed to do about it? What _could_ I do about it?

Nodding to Mulan, I glanced down at the boy with a worried expression. "Sora!"

He looked up at the same time that I had jumped off of the creature's back. It was low enough for me to reach the ground without breaking any bones. A few scrapes bad been expected, but it was worth it. Because when my body crashed into Sora, knocking him back and sending the both of us rolling into the ground, I knew he was safe. A hot surge of electricity shot right where he was standing. He would have been injured if I hadn't.

I lifted up my head then. Things were a bit numbed due to how hard we had tumbled onto the ground. There was a static buzz in the back of my ear. My eyes slowly opened to take in the surroundings once more. Though, I didn't see the courtyard. I saw a pair of pretty blue eyes.

That was when I paid attention to the fact that there wasn't concrete beneath me. Something was rising and falling against my chest. _Sora's._ I had landed on top of him during our collision with the ground. And he was so close. So close that my hair laid sprawled around his head like a dark curtain. Close enough for me to feel his breath fan across my face from his parted lips. Close enough to see the shock in his wide eyes. Close enough for me to see how red his lips were from him constantly biting down on them. I also noticed that his eyes were directed at mine, but aimed guiltily at my lips, too.

As if it were an instinct, I bit down on my bottom lip. His chest stopped moving against mine . . . he was holding his breath. Just like that . . . the butterflies were back.

"Thanks." He offered me a small smile.

I returned it. "You'd do the same for me."

I got off of him, offering him a helping hand. He took my small hand in his larger one to stand up. But, what felt like electric shocks rocketed through my fingertips, all the way up to where my elbows were. It wasn't normal. Electricity wasn't something that I usually felt when I touched him, but this time was different. I could feel my cheeks heating up—no doubt a bright red from how pale I was. Not that he would have seen it. As soon as he was back on his feet, he was off trying to get back onto the Heartless' back.

A sigh blew passed my lips. My liking for him was something that I wished would just disappear. It would be much easier that way. If I had never developed butterflies in the first place, I wouldn't have to upset myself over the fact that it was never going to happen.

With a few more chains of attacks, the Heartless was done for. It began to tremble in defeat. Its wings were flapping slower and slower, preparing to fail on it at any given time. So Sora and Mulan jumped off. The drop had been at a close enough distance for them to not get hurt on the way down. Once they landed, they sent us pairs of thumbs ups. We had done it.

It was too soon to celebrate, though. Behind where Mulan was standing, the Heartless was twitching in the air. It couldn't fly anymore. It groaned as its body came hurling to the ground . . . straight at the girl. We shouted her name for her to get out of the way. But, she didn't. She turned around to watch on with wide eyes. It was as if she were struck with fear. The same way that I had found myself paralyzed during the avalanche.

"Mulan!"

It was Shang who had called out to her. He ran from the steps of the palace to get to her. He was running as fast as he could. His face was twisted up in so much fear—fear for the girl he cared about. It didn't matter how fast he was running. There wasn't enough time for him to get both of them out of the way. There was no way they were going to make it out without at least one of them getting hurt. He threw himself over her to cover her from the blow. She was completely shielded from how small she was compared to him.

The Heartless crashed to the ground right where they sat huddled up together. It never got the chance to land, though. Its body dissolved into a shining dust and a disregarded crystal heart. Luckily that was the case. It was gone before it could crush the two of them.

Shang moved back a little bit. His thin, dark eyes searched the area in confusion as to why he wasn't in pain right now. Mulan looked surprised that they hadn't been smashed. I was just thankful. We didn't have to witness our friends get hurt after we had won the battle.

"Way to go!" I cheered happily from the sidelines.

They couldn't have cared less about what I was saying. They weren't paying attention to us. Shang had helped Mulan onto her feet like she would break into a million pieces if he was too rough. She took his hand as she stood. Her eyes met his, and they stood there, wrapped up in each other's presence.

You could almost feel it from here: the connections of their heart. It was like watching two lights find each other through the darkness. It . . . brought a smile to my face. I was happy for them. Honestly. Everyone deserved to find someone that brought out the light in them. Even a military man like Shang had found his Mulan.

Beside me, Sora had kicked away a rock at his feet. His brows were pulled low in a sort of pout. So much for him being pissed off. Now, he was sad. For what reason, I did not know.

I _did_ know that I couldn't take this any longer. The air around the two of us felt thick and strained. It had never felt like that. It was always natural and light around us. Why was it different now? Whatever was bothering him was affecting the way I felt, too. I could feel it.

I grabbed onto his elbow and yanked him a bit away from the group. I knew that if I were to demand that he came with me, he would. It worked every time. He would drop whatever he was doing at the drop of a hat if it meant that the two of us had to talk about something. And like I predicted, he dragged his feet along the concrete, but followed after me nonetheless.

Once we were a few feet away from everyone, I crossed my arms over my chest. My gaze peered up at him with thick, furrowed brows. My lips were pulled into a straight line. Despite how serious I appeared, he looked indifferent. Like he had been let down. Like he had let himself down. His eyes avoided making contact with mine as he looked anywhere but down at me. His hand reached up to sheepishly scratch the back of his neck. He knew what was coming and he didn't want to have this conversation with me. I could tell.

"What the hell is up with you?" I whisper-shouted.

My hand smacked against his chest for emphasis. He didn't even flinch. It was surprisingly firm for such a skinny boy; I doubted he felt anything.

He shook his head, still avoiding eyes contact. "Nothing . . ."

"Don't give me that, Sora! Something is clearly bothering you. Remember that day where I was crying in the bailey? You said that you would be there for me. The same goes for you. You can talk to me. What's wrong?"

He sucked his teeth. There was so much defiance in his stance. He was shuffling awkwardly on his feet. He didn't want to be standing here right now.

"Nothing, Sasuke—"

"You've been stomping around with an attitude the size of Traverse Town one minute, then on the verge of depression the next." I glared up at him harder. "I know when something is wrong with you. We've known each other for way too long. Just tell me."

He finally looked down at me. There was so much . . . emotion in those eyes of his. Things that I couldn't quite read like I normally could. They were fogged over. Usually, I was able to tell exactly what he was thinking by looking at him. I could tell when he was sad, happy, excited, or even angry. But, this time, all that I was drawing up were blanks.

"Ya know, you never answered my question," he pointed out.

 _What question?_

"Hmm?" I hummed in confusion.

"What is . . ." he trailed off as if he was this whole subject over. "What is Riku to you?"

The answer to that was easy. "He's my brother. Not by blood, of course, but he may as well be. I look up to him. He's helped me with so much. He's a piece of my family."

Sora's brows pulled closer together. "So, you're saying that you've never been . . . _attracted_ to Riku?"

Attracted to Riku? The thought sent a shudder down my spine. Riku was older and wiser than me. He would be considered my father before he was my boyfriend. Besides, when it came to that sort of stuff, Riku wasn't the one who came to my mind. It was blue eyes and goofy smiles that made my pulse pick up. Why would he think that I wanted to be with Riku of all people?

"Like the same way you used to have a crush on Kairi?" I asked quietly.

I didn't know what had possessed me to ask that. There was never any evidence that he liked her any more than in a sisterly way. He treated her like any other close friend. Yet, something forced me to knit-pick at it the same way he was knit-picking at Riku. While we were on the subject of crushes, we might as well have went all the way out.

"What?" His voice raised three octaves in shock. "I've never had a crush on Kairi."

 _Good._

"Yes, you have."

"No, I haven't."

"Of course you have," I pressed on, even though the thought of them together was making me feel sick. "Then explain the rumours that were going around the islands that you liked one of your _best friends._ "

He started scratching at his head again. "Well, it isn't Kairi."

"Who else could it be, then?"

The look he gave me was incredulous. It was as if I had just told him some unbelievable lie. Like I had just said something that made no sense to him. His eyebrows furrowed even more than they already where. His jaw went slack. He looked completely dumbfounded with me.

"I don't know if you're playing clueless so that I'll spell it out for you, or if you really don't know," he murmured. "I've practically _told you_ by this point. This . . . is frustrating."

He was done talking apparently. He walked back over to the group, leaving me to figure out the meaning behind his words. My face crunched up—beyond puzzled. I still didn't get what I was missing. All that I got out of that was that he liked some girl from Destiny Islands, and he now knew that I had no intentions of being with Riku. But, he said that he had just told me something . . . something that wasn't clicking to me . . .

Man, he was confusing.

* * *

 **"ONCE AGAIN, YOU** have served China well."

The five of us stood in front of the Emperor's throne as he spoke. Our backs were straightened out. Our chests were pushed forward. Our chins were held high. These were all signs of honour. Just like Shang had taught us back at the camp all that time ago. Honour meant being respectful to others. To the side of the Emperor, Shang was nodding at us in approval. He had taught us well. Or, at least, well enough when it came to respecting the elderly.

The Emperor looked on at us with a ghost of a wrinkly smile. His already thin eyes were crinkling closed in the corners. Unlike most people, the years had been kind to him. One would have thought that years of ruling over the land would have stressed him out. It was the exact opposite. Other than his gray hair, it was hard to tell that he was as old as he truly was.

"It would please me to reward you. What is it that you wish?" he asked.

To my right, Donald was rubbing his fingertips together to signify that he wanted munny. He had inherited the greedy trait from his uncle, it seemed. To my left, Goofy was rubbing his rumbling stomach. He wanted food. Which made sense seeing as how we had skipped breakfast and lunch. I, on the other hand, couldn't think of a single thing that I wanted. I was content. Everything in my world was perfect. Nothing else was needed.

But, none of us spoke up to tell him. It was Sora who did. He was stroking his hairless chin in deep thought, his eyes scanning the ceiling as if the answer had been written on it.

"Well . . ." he started. "You say a guy in black came to see you. What did he say?"

He wanted more information on Riku. I could feel the corners of my lips pulling up into a smile. He was back to his regular self. A few hours ago, the sound of the boy's name would have struck a chord with him. Now, he was back to his original mission: finding Riku and bringing him and me home. It was all that I could ever ask of him.

"That is all that you wish?" the Emperor asked in shock.

Sora and I nodded in unison. "Yes."

Donald and Goofy hung their heads in disappointment. They had each had their own personal wishes. Wishes that he had completely ignored in order to get information on our friend. A part of me felt bad, but it would have all been worth it in the end. They, too, quickly got over it. Information was more valuable than a sandwich, I supposed.

"Dragons have crossed our land and left a great web of paths," the Emperor began. "These dragons wield much power, and they are the source of many gifts to both man and nature. But, it would seem someone of evil intent disturbed one of our dragons and transformed it into what you call a Heartless. It is my belief that this young man came to warn me of that danger. Then, I could alert and prepare my troops."

"Did you?" I asked.

That made the Emperor chuckle. "I was about to, but he told me the situation had changed."

"He said three "wise guys" and a "stubborn, little girl" had arrived, and they would take care of things," Shang finished for him.

Sora's face lit up. "That's gotta be Riku!"

I puffed out my cheeks and crossed my arms. "Damn it, even _he's_ calling me short."

"But, what's he doin' hangin' out with the Organization Thirteen?" Goofy asked us.

I shrugged. "No idea. But, at least we know that he's okay."

Riku was all right. That was all that I could ever want. I wanted my friends to be okay and happy wherever they were.

Sora walked the short distance to stand beside me. I didn't object. Though, I wanted to when he used my head as an arm rest, placing his arm on me as if I was his table. He was smiling a bit. Because of that, I chose not to move from underneath him. It was better than having him mad.

"That's good enough for me," he said.

"Now then, Fa Mulan." The Emperor looked over at the girl with interest. "Do you have a request?"

Mulan nervously moved a lock of her hair behind her hair. "I'd like Shang . . . I—I mean . . . well . . . The Captain . . . Could the Captain have a vacation, please?"

What? Everyone's eyes seemed to go wide on cue. She had used her one wish to make sure that Shang would have some time off . . . so that they could be together. So that they could have time to go on dates without worrying about his schedule. Did it get any more romantic than that? Realizing it, too, Shang scratched his head sheepishly. It was a nervous trait that he must have picked up from Sora.

Even the Emperor himself was a bit taken aback as he stood up. "I hardly expected such humble requests. In this case, I'm afraid I must refuse. Captain Li's responsibility is to protect the Emperor. And yet, Mulan . . . Would you like to serve alongside him and protect me? Two reeds together are stronger than one. But, the choice is yours alone."

He wanted to hire her to be a royal guard. It didn't take much to know that the title was something people worked their whole lives for. However, here she was, a hero earning the job of a hero.

Smiling, Mulan excitedly bowed. "Thank you, your Excellency!"

She and Shang shared a private glance. It was one of total adoration. Shang's world revolved around seeing Mulan happy, from the looks of it. It was good because Mulan obviously felt the same way. Now, they would be working with each other again, and be able to spend all of their free time with one another.

Love. It was a funny thing, wasn't it?

"I have one last request," the Emperor suddenly added in. "In four months' time, I will have a new mission for you all. Can you agree to join it?"

"Hmm . . ." Sora hummed, glancing down at me happily. "I'll leave this up to you. What do ya say, Sasuke? Do you want to come back?"

I looked into his eyes. Everyone in the room was staring at me, awaiting an answer. Did I want to come back? Was that even a real question?

Grinning from ear to ear, I raised a fist in cheer. "Of course!"

* * *

 **I'm sorry! This was supposed to be up two days ago, but school is suffocating. You know how it is.**

 **~ Insane**


	19. The Beast's Castle Pt Two

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE BEAST'S CASTLE PT. TWO**

 **SASUKE**

 **"Maybe what I liked most about my childhood was that it was peaceful, and that you were in it."  
** **\- Unknown**

* * *

" _ **SASUKE!"**_

 _There were patters against the wooden flooring as two, small, bare feet waltzed across the room. The sound of deep breaths filling tiny lungs echoed through the quiet household. Big, silver eyes gave the room a once-over in search of where the calling voice had come from. Her long pigtails swung around her head with each turn; her white dress swayed along with them._

 _It was a smooth voice that had called her. One that she had recognized instantly. It was gentle and inviting, much like many of the things in this world were. It was the exact opposite of everything that had been happening to the girl as of late._

 _Her eyes softened with admiration when they landed on who had called her. It was_ her _. Long, platinum blonde hair sat pulled into a braid over her shoulder, and her turquoise eyes seemed to gleam at the small girl. Unlike the girl, she was fairly tall. Her skin was dotted in freckles upon other beauty imperfections. But, she was still gorgeous—easily one of the most beautiful women the girl had ever seen._

Could ever remember.

 _She bent down to the girl's height and smiled. "There you are! I've been looking for you. Sora and Riku are out hunting for starfish and seashells. Don't you want to tag along, Sasuke?"_

 _The little girl, Sasuke, shook her head. It wasn't like she didn't know who they were. They were the ones who found her on the second island and brought her here. Though the two of them seemed like nice boys, she didn't really like crashing in on their friendship. They were already so close to each other after being brought up in diapers together. They didn't need an eight-year-old like her crashing in._

 _And it wasn't like the three of them talked, anyways. The woman's son, the boy with the short, silver hair and bright eyes, was almost as non-talkative as she was. There was also the brown-haired one, as well, whom had deemed it his mission to make her a friend of his. She didn't mind the boy's efforts. But, right now, she didn't want to talk to anyone._

 _They had brought her to the town mayor when everyone discovered her. Lost and abandoned out of thin air, it seemed. It wasn't like she could have gone to an orphanage. In a world like this one, every child had loving parents, and were never alone. So, the mayor's wife had suggested adopting her. That idea didn't go far. There wasn't enough free time, the mayor had said, the most that we could do is find her a home to live alone, and take care of herself._

 _That thought didn't sit well with the two boy's parents. Imagine having to live alone during the primary school ages. They thought it was insane. Perhaps that was why all four parents had chipped in to make the girl's life easier. It was the reason why she found herself at one of their houses every day rather than the one that the city had provided for her._

 _The woman nodded understandingly. "Are you sure, sweetie? They're not too far if you want to change your mind."_

" _No, I don't want to go out today," Sasuke answered. "Where is Wayra?"_

 _Wayra was the father of the brunet one. She had liked him the most. His big, green eyes were filled with so much wonder for the world. His sun-kissed skin and his dark brown hair were full of life, matching the goofy smile that he always wore. His son had completely inherited all of his genetics, Sasuke thought out. If it weren't for the boy's mother's blue eyes and shining personality, it would have been hard to assume that he was her son at all. For he was the copy-paste image of the man she looked up to so much._

 _The woman—Kaia, she said to call her—tapped her chin. "He's out with the boys. He's taking them out to the second island later. He wanted to bring you, too, but you didn't want to leave the house."_

 _Sasuke just nodded her head. She knew better. Wherever Wayra went, she was sure to follow along soon after. They all knew that. They were trying to lure her into the sandy beaches with the promise of playing by the ocean with all of them. Tempting, but it wasn't good enough. She hadn't stepped foot on that island since she was abandoned and forgotten by the person she couldn't quite remember anymore._

 _It wasn't soon after did another woman enter the living room._ _Her sundress blew around her legs because of the ceiling fan that spun above their heads. It wasn't doing enough to relieve her of the humid summer air. Such was proven when her dainty hand moved to fan herself. She strolled over to the two with an exasperated sigh, mentioning about how she wished the air conditioning hadn't broken a few days ago._

 _She was a person that the little girl knew—the woman she had grown accustomed to seeing every day. She was the wife of Wayra. The one who held almost no physical similarities_ _to her young son. Her bright, blue eyes lazily blinked every time she felt the need to. Locks of her long, light brown hair blew around her tanned face._ _It felt like all of her actions were sluggish and dragged on, like she had just awoken from some exhausting nap that left her reeling. She carried on with the act, too, until her full lips pulled into a tiny smir_ _k._

" _Geez, that man," she started, still using her hand to fan air at herself. "He never sits still. Always has to be around and about. You'd think Sora and Riku would have worn holes in their shoes by now from how much he drags them around with him."_

 _That exaggeration made Kaia laugh. "Sure do know how to pick them, don't you, Anemon_ _é_ _?"_

 _The woman, Anemon_ _é_ _, shrugged her bare shoulders innocently._ _Sasuke had managed to eavesdrop enough by then to know that the boys' parents had been the closest of friends since their middle school days. They had all went to school together. They had even lived on the same block throughout most of their lives._ _And apparently, Wayra and Dem_ _etrius—the silver-haired father of Riku—hated each others' guts, and always got suspended for their constant fights on campus. Though, years later, Wayra and Demetrius bonded over their crushes on a certain pair of best friends:_ _Anemon_ _é_ _and Kaia._ _The rest was history, as they say._

" _What can I say?" Anemon_ _é_ _stopped fanning her face. "There was something about that spiky hair and adventurous attitude that made him special. It was what I fell in love with."_

 _For the first time in what felt like months, Sasuke found herself asking the brunette woman, "Fell in love?"_

 _Anemon_ _é_ _seemed shocked. Her jaw slacked the slightest bit; her eyes bulged out to the size of saucers. It was a reaction that didn't look too dramatic considering the circumstances. Sasuke only spoke to two people: Wayra and Kaia. Anyone else would merely receive nods and shakes of the head. To hear the quiet girl talking to her . . . the woman could have sworn her heartbeat was picking up in excitement._

 _But, she chose to play it cool. One wrong move and the little girl could crawl back into her antisocial hole. This needed to be treated lightly in fear of scaring her off. Instead of losing the little spark that was starting to ignite within her._

 _She bent down to the girl's height to look into her confused, silver eyes. "Yeah, ya know . . . when your heart gets attached to someone it likes. It's hard to put into words. One day, I just realized that he was a large piece of_ _my heart. You have one, too, ya know."_

 _She poked a finger at Sasuke's chest, right over where her heart was beating beneath her rib cage. The little girl giggled as she attempted to move out of the way. It brought a smile to both women's faces. Being the mothers of boys, they had never experienced the laughter of a young girl. But, this . . . her laugh was enough to melt the coldest of hearts. Her laugh made them feel as if for one moment—just this one . . . they had a daughter that made them happy._

" _How did you know that your . . . heart-thing . . . liked him a lot?" Sasuke asked._

 _Anemon_ _é_ _sighed once more while she thought her choice of words over. "I can't really explain it to you, sweetheart. You have to experience it for yourself. In the future, when you get older, there will be a person out there who will make your heart happy, and you'll just_ know _. Because once your heart gets attached to someone, it splits itself in two, in a way. One for you, and one for them. You'll have a piece of each other."_

" _Do you have Wayra's heart?"_

" _Yup. Just like he has mine. It's the reason why I'm married to him and stuck with a goofball for a husband." She stood up to rest her arms behind her head. "Boy, I sure do wish he'd take a nap every now and then."_

 _Kaia laughed at her best friend's_ _antics. "Are you ready to go home yet, Sasuke?"_

 _The little girl shook her head. There was no fun in returning to her studio apartment. All of her neighbours were older people, and there was no one to keep her company. Her apartment was dark and lonely . . . much like she was at the moment. Unlike here, where there was so much love to go around. She envied it. Why couldn't she be surrounded in it like everyone else was?_

" _All right," Kaia said, standing up to her full height. "How's about you help Anemon_ _é_ _and I cook dinner? Everyone's staying to eat, and Sora's spending the night. You know how much that little guy likes to eat."_

 _This time, Sasuke nodded her head. Though she loved listening to Kaia's gentle voice, her mind was wandering elsewhere, thinking about the strange possibility that she actually had one of those heart-things, and that it was going to find someone to share itself with. It was a strange idea. But, whoever that person was . . . she couldn't wait to see them._

* * *

 **I DIDN'T KNOW** when my heart had learned how to beat. Or, when it had learned how to skip one for that matter.

Each thud hammered in my chest, where it sat on the brink of tiring itself out. It was relentless. Not once did it stop, and it worried me because it had never been this way. One would have thought my chest was hollow had my pulse not raised in battle as much as it did. Those occasional beats were caused by the adrenaline of a fight, but now, these beats were the result of being so close to the boy I called my best friend.

It wasn't too long ago that we had set off on our journey. After being offered lunch, of course. The Emperor had offered us as much food as we desired; he gave out orders for the people serving beneath him to feed us. Our polite protests fell upon deaf ears.

Within moments, our stomachs had been filled to the brim with the most traditional Chinese cuisine. Dumplings, rice, all of it was enough to leave the average person exhausted from the weight gain. Mulan had warned us that the food would be filling. We didn't listen. In a lifestyle like the one we lived in, it was hard to tell when our next chance to eat a full meal would come. We survived off of snacks and the offerings of gentle hearts in corrupted worlds. She couldn't really blame us for it.

We had wished everyone goodbye, promising to come back in four months. A little less than half of a year—the work surely wouldn't have been over by then. Though, that wasn't the point. When we boarded the Gummi Ship to leave, we found ourselves on the verge of falling asleep. It was hard to keep our eyes open, let alone navigate our ways through the stars. Luckily, Donald had volunteered to take the first driving shift so that Goofy could lie down. The dog didn't dare object. It left him asleep in the passenger's seat, and Sora and I crashing in the back.

My slumber was food-induced, like a coma with no plans of letting up. The rest that I took was so heavily influenced that it wouldn't have been shocking to hear that I was snoring. Loudly, at that. I was so far gone that it took all of my will-power just to pry my eyes open. Rather, they fluttered a few times. The motions forced my lashes to tickle at my cheeks. The hazy after-effects of sleep kept me from getting up.

My eyes fully opened when I grew tired of falling in and out of sleep. The cool colours of space lit up the inside of the ship with dark shades. It would have been completely dark had stars not littered the sky just beyond the windows. Not a muscle moved. Not a word was said. I just sat there, my head tilted at an odd angle as those colours faded in and out of view.

It was the window, most likely. There was a good chance that it was glass holding my head during my nap. It was only a window. Windows couldn't complain that they were being drooled on. They weren't real. Still, I found myself reaching up a hand to wipe away the stray drool . . . coming in contact with something that wasn't glass at all.

My heart was such a funny thing nowadays. It raced so fast that the sounds of it beating pounded in my ears. That, along with the familiar surge of heat that gathered in my cheeks. It hadn't been the window that I was drooling on. It was Sora. And in that moment, I was glad that it was too dark for anyone to see how crimson my face was.

Soft snores were coming from his parted lips. He was so far gone into his sleep that he was on the verge of drooling, too. The weight of his head sat atop of mine; spiked-locks of his hair were brushing against my lashes. While we slept, I had managed to fall asleep on his shoulder, and he had fell asleep on my head.

It caused my heart to swell. He must have looked so at peace. It was a shame that I couldn't move to see it. If I moved, he would wake up.

So, I didn't. My eyes fluttered back shut to the position they were in only moments ago. Not of of exhaustion, but out of contentment. There was no telling when a chance like this one would come again. A chance where I could pretend that there was a possibility of _us_. A possibility that he could ever want to be this close to me when he wasn't snoring in my ear. For I knew that if he were to wake up, he would have moved away, and that would leave me alone in my corner.

He wasn't mine to crave. His attention was already devoted to some girl on Destiny Islands. His heart had already set its sights on someone it seen worthy. That someone . . . was far from me. Perhaps that was the real reason why he wanted to get back to the islands so bad.

Could it have been Felicity—the school's cheerleading team captain—that he sought after? I wouldn't have been surprised. She was beautiful enough when it came to matching him in the physical appearance department. And, the last time I recalled, she thought that he was the cutest troublemaker on the beach-y shores.

Because everyone knew who Sora was—whether it be for good reasons, or for reasons no one liked bringing up anymore. Unlike me, he was known for being Wayra's son. The son of the rebellious man who built their family name from the ground up. He was born with big plans set ahead of him. He was supposed to have joined the blitzball team with Tidus this year. _W_ _ith a little more muscle gain, you could be captain once I graduate_ , the blond boy assured him. It was all the more popularity for him. He was everyone's favourite little scamp. Then, there was me.

Sora huddled his body closer to mine as he mumbled incoherent words in his sleep. I had nearly forgotten that he was there. I was too busy wallowing in so much . . . who knew what. Was it self-pity? Was it jealousy? I couldn't find any other word for it. But, whatever it was, it was pointless. We were risking our safety every day by fighting the Heartless in these worlds. A silly attraction to a boy shouldn't be a priority. It could sit on the back-burner and wait. Probably even years if need be.

He took a deep breath before he sat up straight. Strands of my hair had gotten stuck to his cheek from how long we had slept that way. Not that he noticed. His blue eyes were half-lidded while they scanned over his surroundings. His hair was ruffled a bit in the part where it had been rested against mine. All of his muscles were visibly relaxed. At least, they were until he realized that we had been sleeping together. He went stiff for what felt like a full second, and then loosened up, sinking further into the seat. He didn't mind that my head was still on his shoulder. He simply leaned his head back onto the head rest behind him. With a yawn, his eyes finally drifted closed once more.

But, I didn't want him to go back to sleep. Or did I? It was hard to figure out anything that I wanted anymore. It didn't matter if he was awake or asleep, I just wanted him to go back to being close to me. The only way to do that was to make sure his eyes remained open for a little while longer. _A little while longer for a little while closer._

"I had a dream about Anemon _é_ ," I whispered, loud enough for only him to hear.

His eyes were still closed when he hummed a response. "Mom? What was . . . she doing?"

There was something that was so great about his voice whenever he just woke up. It was something that made me smile every time I heard it. It was deep and raspy—it barely sounded like him when he hit those lower octaves in his sentences. A guilty pleasure, even his voice made my heart skip.

"Nothing really. It was _Anemon_ _é_ , Kaia, and me at Riku's house. It was more of a memory, I guess. That day where I wanted to be in the house while you, Riku, and Wayra went starfish hunting."

My head tilted upward against his shoulder to see his reaction. The corners of his lips were pulling into that small smile. It was that playful, guilty smile. Like he knew something that I didn't. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, only for his teeth to sink into the bottom one moments later. _That was a habit I would never get tired of seeing._

"That was the day you and I first hang out," he reminded in a whisper. "You were so small. You were eight-years-old, but the size of a six-year-old."

My eyebrows knitted together. "You remember all of that?"

"Yup. How could I forget."

The surges of heat seemed to double in its path to my cheeks. I had doubted that he remembered that day. After his father brought him and Riku back to the house, Sora looked so happy to see me standing there with the mothers. He and I were both missing our two front teeth at the time; it had felt good to know that I wasn't the only one with a gaped smile. Especially when he bombarded me with grins on his way in. Back then, I thought it was weird, but now, I was grateful for it. That was the day that he forced me to go outside. To experience fresh air instead of the staleness of my empty apartment. It was crazy to think back on it after everything that's happened these past few years.

"Riku hated me at first." A chuckle slipped past my lips.

Which he did. Or, so I figured. The boy had grown to resent me upon noticing that I took such a liking to his mother. He wasn't big on sharing. Though, it made sense. He was an only child. He was used to not having to fight for her attention.

As if he had heard my wishes from earlier, Sora leaned his head back against mine. He let out a sigh, not bothering to open his eyes again. However, as sleepy as he tried to play off, I could still feel him smiling into my hair.

"Well, to be fair, we all thought _you_ hated _him_."

"I liked _you_ , though," I murmured.

It was stupid. I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth. And yet, it was the truth. I did like him. In those days, and now more than ever. He was my first official _friend_ after I had forgotten my memories. My fondness of him—I was beginning to realize—was rooted deep.

He was wearing a grin bigger than the one before. "I liked you, too."

 _More than like._ It was the add-on I prayed he had said. Things would have been different. Things would have been easier on the both of us. But, he didn't. Rather, he steadied out his breathing, and returned back to the dreams he had escaped from.

Just like that, the conversation was over. The subject of us liking each other ended. I knew that he had returned the phrase in a friendly-sense, but there was so much . . . meaning in the way that he said it. It was enough to make my cheeks flush at the impossible ways this chat could have ended on a better note.

Letting out a sigh, my gaze shifted beyond the two front seats. Donald was controlling the Gummi Ship in the driver's seat. His hands were gripped on the steering wheel with such laziness one would have thought he wasn't holding on at all. Beside him, Goofy was deep asleep. His feet were propped up on the dashboard, and his arms were locked behind his head. Most of the snoring filling the ship was coming from him. Not that it bother me. The boys needed to get as much rest as they could. There was no telling what was waiting out there in the words for us.

I blinked away some of Sora's bangs out of my eyes. "How long have we been asleep?"

Donald looked at me through the rear view mirror as if just now noticing that I was awake. "Uh, almost ten hours."

" _Ten hours_?"

"I said _almost_ ," the duck corrected. "I let you guys sleep in. Teenagers need nine hours of sleep, anyways. You and Sora don't get enough. I've been looking for new worlds out there in the meantime, but I haven't been able to find any. So, I was thinking . . . how's about we stop by to check on the Beast?"

My head instinctively cuddled further into Sora's shoulder where his body was the warmest. His Adam's apple moved against my hair as he swallowed in his sleep. He hadn't woke up from that. Good. I was glad that he was asleep and didn't know about my actions toward him. And I was also glad that Donald had chose to not question the little moment, since he had seen it all through the rear view mirror.

"You just want to mess with Cogsworth," I accused with a yawn.

"Eh, you're right. We'll be there in an hour." Donald shrugged. "And Sasuke? From one good friend to another, here's a piece of advice: tell him."

His dark gaze glanced over to where Sora sat slumped in his sleep. He knew. He knew about everything. He knew that Sora made me happy in a way that wasn't so kid-ish anymore, and he knew that I wanted nothing more than to stay against his shoulder for as long as I could. And he was right. The only chance I had at him would have to start by me telling him, whether it was embarrassing or not.

But, I couldn't do it. Not now.

My words had came out in breathless whispers. "He doesn't feel the same."

"Are you literally blind?" He looked just about ready to slam his head on the steering wheel. "I promised him _last year_ that I wouldn't say anything, but . . . Just know that he cares a lot more about you than you think he does."

Those words were all that he had to say. He retreated into the wide open space beyond the ship to set us toward the Beast's Castle. It left me speechless, and reaching for meanings in his small speech.

It all had to be a lie. Whatever Donald was insinuating, it wasn't real. There was no way that Sora could like me in the same way that I liked him. He was focused on some other random girl on Destiny Islands. Even he said so himself. Though, if that was the truth, why would he make the poor duck promise to keep the secret away from me? _Don't tell Sasuke that I like Felicity_ , I could imagine him saying. It made no sense. If that was the case, he would have just told me.

" _Then explain the rumours that were going around the islands that you liked one of your_ best friends _."_

" _Well, it isn't Kairi."_

It all pieced together. He told Donald to keep the secret because it was me. He liked _me_.

Something in my head didn't want me to believe it. It was shouting that this was all some kind of misunderstanding. 'There was no way' seemed to play like a broken record on repeat. And like a person who had just found out that their fondness wasn't so unrequited as they thought, I was frozen. Frozen with disbelief, shock, excitement, and fear. Fear that if I got my hopes up now, things wouldn't be as glitter and rainbows as they were in my mind.

I decided to keep my mouth shut.

The Keyblade Bearer and The Lost Girl weren't supposed to happen. That wasn't how it turned out in the movies. The Keyblade Bearer and The Varsity Cheer Team Captain was believable. Hell, even The Keyblade Bearer and Kairi—one of The Seven Princesses of Heart—was believable. Our happy ending didn't make sense. He wouldn't want someone so . . . _nothing_.

Perhaps it was me being hard on myself. I had been like that ever since the first day of school where I realized I had no friends other than my two boys. Maybe it was or maybe it wasn't. But, for now, Sora didn't have to know.

My eyes fluttered shut; all of the thinking was bringing around a headache. There was too much thought. My brain was overworking itself. So, I allowed it to run blank, drifting off to worlds where Wayra was here to tell me _"_ _my second kid is no loser_ _."_

* * *

 **THE APPEARANCE OF** the castle hadn't been changed much in the time that we had left. It was exactly the way it was since the last time we marched through the intricate hallways. It was insane for me to have expected anything otherwise. It felt like in the days we left each world, everything changed, and nothing stayed the same. But, it was surprisingly was.

The enormous, royal purple double doors stood high at the front steps. Designs that must have took long to carve decorated the doors. Stone lion's heads were embedded in them to be used as heavy knockers. Beside them, vines carrying dying roses snaked up the white-gray walls to add an unkempt feel. Lights flashed out from beyond the glass windows. If it weren't for them, one would have thought that this place was long since deserted.

It was hard to believe that this place, discarded into the deep woods like a forgotten memory, once was the center of attraction for this worlds. It was once thriving with servants, townspeople, and royalty. It harbored luxurious parties that people of all social statuses attended. It was the fun. Now, it was like an abandoned theme park, a treasure lost in the hidden surroundings.

Though, it had lately been filling itself with the light that it once lost. Belle took away the sadness and regret, replacing it with happiness. She was bringing it—and the people inside it—love again. It was only a matter of time until the color came back, the roses bloomed, and the doors opened to parties like they used to. That much, I believed in.

Sora's shoes dragged sluggishly as he marched up the steps. His hand had reached up to wipe away the excess traces of sleep from the corners of his eyes.

True to his word, Donald had gotten us to this world in little over an hour. Sadly, that was the easy part. After he landed in the forest, he had to wake all of us up. I was just thankful that it didn't have to be me again this time. We were a bunch of heavy sleepers. Getting us all to wake up was a difficult task. But, he had managed it, and it left the three of us groggy.

Goofy kept yawning every five minutes. Sora couldn't walk in a straight line without stumbling a bit. My vision was taking forever to get in focus rather than the blurry state it was currently in. It was a recipe for disaster.

Goofy grabbed onto one of the lion's heads to pull the door open for us. The sun was setting past the evergreen trees. It was around the time that people began to settle down for the day. For that reason, I hadn't been expecting much to happen until it got darker.

We stepped through the door, our eyes glancing around for anything suspicious. There were no signs of Heartless nor Nobodies. Rather, the Beast was in the foyer. His hands were locked together behind his back and he paced the room impatiently. Incoherent tunes came from him in hums. A blue suit clung to his form as if it had been specially tailored for him; his fur was combed up neatly and his face was well groomed. Whatever he was waiting for, it must have been something big.

Sora was the one who closed the door. He waited for everyone to step through before he pulled it shut. With a loud click, the entrance—and traces of the sunlight outside—was closed off. He dusted his hands off with yet another yawn.

"Hey, there!" he called out.

The Beast turned around to look at us. His blue eyes were wide in shock. His jaw kept trembling the slightest bit like he was nervous. It was something that I had never really seen from him. It shocked even me to see someone so big and brash quivering before us.

Donald glanced around the dark room. "No Heartless around here. No sight of the Nobodies, either."

"I think they're close, though," Goofy murmured.

They were talking about the current state this world was in. Their focus was more on the enemy than our troubled friend . . . which made sense. Could that have been why the Beast looked so bothered? Could this world have been invaded during our absence? Only the more reason for him to be losing his calm.

He let out a frustrated growl as if we hadn't already noticed his mood. Glowing, blue eyes moved in a roll; he crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. Something was clearly on his mind. However, by the way he was acting, I doubted it had anything to do with the Heartless.

"What are you so mad about?" Donald managed to roll his eyes, too.

The duck was never one for empathy. He rarely showed it—when he did, they were short-term. But, he was big on his temper, and being around angry people pissed him off more than anything else could have. It was secondhand mood-swings, as Merlin had once described it. The more this whole situation continued, the more the atmosphere was growing tense.

Accepting his challenge, the Beast stared down at him. "Why are you here?"

"We're looking for signs of trouble," Sora answered. "Besides, we thought we'd stop by to say hello to you guys."

"Hmph."

No longer wanting to converse with us, he turned his attention back to the stairway. At that same time, the sound of high heels clicking against the floor echoed throughout the foyer. It was the reason he was so nervous.

My gaze trailed up to where Belle marched down the East-end stairs. A bright-coloured dress clung to her curved form. It was a shining yellow with like-toned ribbons woven into the puffy skirt. Her long, brown hair had been pinned up in a sort of half ponytail, half bun. Her makeup was done perfectly to bring out the hazel in her brown irises. The yellow heels on her small feet clanked with every step, showing off how skilled she was walking in them.

My jaw went slack. To me, Belle was always a beauty to behold, but she looked amazing in that ballroom gown. It had transformed her in a way—into something a bit more radiant. She looked like how everyone imagined a Princess of Heart would appear.

It made sense. She and the Beast were both dressed up nicely in ballroom attire. They wouldn't have done it for play. From the looks of it, they were going to be using the ballroom just beyond the double doors. _Oh._ He was acting this way because we had just crashed their date.

The Beast turned his head to whisper something at us. "Tonight is very important."

It was his way of warning us to stay out of it. He sent us one last look before he started up the few steps to meet Belle halfway. She tilted her head up with a smile, her gaze connecting with his. The electricity surrounding them was almost . . . visible. So much affection in one place was something that none of us had been used to. Though, it wouldn't have been the first time that we seen it, it was still odd. To know that there were actually people in these worlds who were meant to be together was baffling. The Beast and Belle were definitely one of them.

The Beast bent down to bow to her while Belle gripped her dress in a curtsy. Once their backs were straightened, she placed her hand around his arm, and they stepped through the double doors into the ballroom. There was no glance our way. There was no sign that we even existed to them. It left Sora and I scratching our heads at a loss of words.

What were we supposed to do? The Beast had just told us that he didn't want us ruining things. Knowing us, that was what we did best. How were we supposed to help out in a place where we weren't invited?

"Um, maybe we came at a bad time." Goofy scratched at his floppy, black ears.

Donald shrugged his shoulders. "Well, there's only one way to find out."

He didn't give us time to ask what he meant by that. His webbed feet pounded against the floor as he ran up the steps to follow the couple. He was going to crash their date despite the Beast telling us not to. Sora reached out to grab him before he got too far, but it was too late. His hand missed by a few inches, swiping at nothing but air. The little duck was fast.

"Donald, don't!" I shouted after him.

He didn't listen to anything that I said. He just kept going. Exchanging looks, the three of us groaned, and chased after him. He was already doing the damage that we weren't. There was no harm in the three of us going, too. If anything, they would be too upset with Donald to notice that we had slipped in behind him. _A great idea, indeed._

Sora was the first to step in through the doors where Donald had disappeared through. I went in after him, attempting to hide myself behind his tall form. I figured that if they didn't see me, they couldn't get angry with me. Not that it had lasted long, anyways, for Sora stepped to the side, leaving me exposed. Just like that, we had jumped onto Donald's reckless plan.

Belle and the Beast were staring at each other face-to-face in the center of the golden room. The gold chandelier was lit with a romantic glow. The dark curtains were pulled back to reveal the full moon and the twinkling stars outside. They almost matched the twinkling of Belle's dress against all of the lighting. It was like something straight out of a fairy tale.

To the side, all of our friends stood with smiles on their faces. Lumiere held his lit-up candlesticks with pride. Chip—the childish teacup son of Mrs. Potts—stood by his mother with an excited grin. Even Cogsworth himself seemed happy among all of the festivities. That itself was rare enough.

This was really a bad time to come. Not that Donald cared about that. He was a master when it came to being nosy, which was funny seeing how he was always telling us not to. This just proved it.

Sora, Goofy, and I tip-toed further into the room. We were trying to stay unnoticed. It was working, too. No one looked our way during the heartfelt scene unfolding around them. As far as they were concerned, we were off in another world defeating Heartless. Which was good; we couldn't get in trouble for something they didn't know.

We stepped over to where Donald stood a few feet away from them. I had expected for him to run in here disrupting everything. But, he didn't. He was watching quietly on the sidelines.

Lumiere waved his candlestick hands around happily. "Now then, Monsieur, Mademoiselle. Please enjoy the evening—"

His speech was cut off by Donald's obnoxious sneezing. Everyone jumped in shock and turned to look at us wide-eyed. Nothing but silence came next. They stared at us while we stared back at them; it was awkward to say the least. Sora sheepishly locked his arms behind his head as he rocked on the heels of his feet. Donald looked down at the floor. I looked at the paintings of baby angels on the ceiling. All while Goofy nervously waved at them. If looks could kill, the Beast would have murdered us by now.

"And, of course, our honored guests are welcomed, too," Lumiere added in unsure.

"A welcome indeed."

That sudden voice hadn't came from the candle holder. Nor had it came from anyone else in the room. It sounded too sinister to have come from one of them. Too distant to come from the people that we called our friends. No, it was someone else. Or something else, depending on how we looked at the situation.

It was a tactic that I recognized. It was the Organization's way of popping in and out of people's businesses. Everyone else must have thought the same, too, because the Beast pulled Belle in close to shield her away from anything that could happen . . . from _anyone_ that could happen. The servants took a few steps back in fear. We all knew what to expect.

Sora ditched where the rest of us stood to run further into the room. He was always the one to face danger head-on, risking his safety for reasons he didn't even have to most of the time. It was something that I wished he would take a break from every now and then. This was not one of those times, apparently.

He sprinted across the room with the three of us trailing behind him on alert. Our guards were up for anything that could pop out. Especially him, whose eyes darted left and right for signs of where the voice had came from.

He didn't see it, but I did. There was someone standing on the raised levels of the ballroom. Leaning on the wooden rails, a person wearing a hooded, black cloak was looking down at us. Like all of the others, their face was hidden away by the shadows that the hood created. There was no telling who they were.

"Sora!" I called, pointing a gloved finger at the man. "There!"

The teenager turned around to look where I was gesturing, his eyebrows furrowing with distaste. "The Organization . . ."

"You don't know when to quit." The man let out a sigh.

His voice was deep and scratchy. It sounded nothing like the man's we had encountered in the Land of Dragons. This one was a lot less . . . jumpy. He spoke calmly and casually like he had the entire situation under control. It only made him that much more disturbing than the rest. Imagine, someone knowing that you couldn't do anything against them.

Donald raised a fist at the guy. "Yeah, we'll show you!"

The man snapped his fingers to summon his group of Nobody henchmen. They were all spawned in beams of light, carrying an arsenal of double-ended staffs. Their silver and purple bodies twitched where they stood in the corner of the room. On shaky foot in front of the other, they scrambled in our direction. And as easily as it started, the date was over.

The expression on Belle's face was crestfallen. She obviously had been looking forward to this day. It was the day where she could actually be a princess with her prince-to-be, only to have it ruined by someone so evil. Her tiny fists balled up at her sides, and her face scrunched up in anger.

"Not tonight!" She argued.

However, her angry words fell upon deaf ears. The Beast let go of her waist to run into battle with us against the Nobodies. The creatures moved to surround us in a circle. My small hands opened when a surge of heat rushed against my palm. Bright flashes of light caused the Nobodies to stagger back, and they looked even more upset to see our summoned weapons in our hands.

The man standing above chuckled dryly. It was as if he thought this whole thing was funny. It was like we were toys to the organization to keep them occupied during their tormenting. That thought didn't sit well with me, especially since it was beginning to meddle with people's happiness.

"I've come to take something you hold very dear," the man above announced.

My wide eyes glanced over at the older girl a few feet away. He wanted Belle.

I had been witness to the Beast getting mad only a handful of times. All of those occurrences, it was under someone else's will. But, this . . . this was all his own. He released a roar so ferocious that it felt like the ground was shaking. He didn't take to kindly to the thought of anyone hurting the woman he cared about, let alone kidnapping her. He wasn't going to let it happen. For that, my admiration for him grew just a bit bigger.

The man still chuckled. "Yes. Let your anger grow . . ."

He didn't say anything more. He didn't give us anymore hints about his plans. That was all that he had to say. He called upon one of those dark portals before he disappeared, stepping into the swirls of black. With him gone, we were left here to take care of his Nobodies.

The Beast wanted to run after him. That much was clear for anyone to see. And he was going to, had Sora not grabbed onto his arm to stop him.

"Beast! We have to get rid of these guys first!" he shouted as he looked down at me. "Take Belle and the others! Go somewhere safe!"

My eyebrows pulled low. "What? Why me?"

A glare was sent my way. "Just go!"

"No, I'm not going anywhere!"

It was unknown to me as to why I felt the need to put up a fight against him. It was childish—I had never really snapped at him like that before. It reminded me of a pissed off toddler, and I instantly felt dumb for doing it.

Sora stared at me incredulously, like I was some foreign object that he couldn't quite wrap his head around. His brows were furrowed so hard that it created creases between them. At the same time that he appeared confused, he managed to look frustrated.

"I'm tired of having to sit on the sidelines while you guys get to fight!" I argued. "I'm not a little kid! I can fight, too, Sora! You've seen it—"

"I'm not saying that you can't fight!" He glanced at the closing in Nobodies, then back down at me. "You're going to fight. Just not this one. Right now, there are other people that need you, and you need to be safe somewhere else in case things get bad."

I was getting irritated now. "Well, why don't you ever send Goofy or Donald to do it?!"

Behind me, a saddened sigh blew past Belle's lipstick-covered lips. Her special day had just been destroyed and all that I could think about was how unfair Sora was being. It was selfish. I was selfish. And in that moment, I regretted ever saying anything.

Nodding in defeat, I tore my eyes away from Sora. "Roger, sir."

He opened his mouth to say something, but never got anywhere past murmuring my name. He must have decided against saying anything further. There was nothing else to really say, anyways. We all knew our roles. We all knew where we stood. Anything else would have just prolonged finding the wild Organization member.

I was quick to reach our friends. They were already beginning to race toward the double doors in a panic. More particularly Chip, who was struggling to keep up with everyone else. Mrs. Potts turned around to encourage her son, but I grabbed onto his handle, assuring her that I would carry her boy so that he wouldn't get lost. We were out of the ballroom in the instant, moving up the East wing to get to Belle's bedroom. The last sight of the boys I caught was them mid-battle. A battle that I couldn't be a part of.

It wasn't rare for me to sit out a fight. A good percentage of those times, though, were because Sora wanted me to. It was always "to be safe," or "Sasuke sit this one out," or even "go do something else." Yet, Goofy and Donald were always at his side no matter what. If anything, I had been fighting alongside him longer than they have. So what made him want to get rid of me so often rather than one of them?

The journey to Mulan's bedroom was long. Our breaths were labored with adrenaline from our escape. Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Mrs. Potts hopped along to keep up with Belle and my pace. In my hand, Chip was looking around the halls as nervously as the rest of them were. I couldn't blame them. There was no telling what that cloaked man wanted, and they were scared. They had every right to be.

The hallway was long and dark. There was a window at the end of it that viewed out to the shining moon above. It gave the Victorian-styled decorations an eerie glow. Statues of knights armors lined the walls carried axes and swords. Paintings of past generations watched our every move, it felt like. It was the reason why I was so glad to see Belle's door approaching at the end of the hall.

Her hands rushed to grip onto the handle in attempt to calm our cursed friends' nerves. With a sharp turn, the door flew open, allowing them to pile in like their lives depended on it. To them, the bedroom was a safe haven. They had this idea that nothing bad could get into this place, though that probably wasn't the truth at all. But, who was I to tell them that?

I closed the door behind us after Belle entered. Her light was already on. It bounced off of her glittering yellow dress in pretty sparkles. It almost made me sad to see such an effort go to waste. She was sad, too, because she stalked over to her king-sized bed and collapsed onto it in a heap of sighs. Head-strong as ever, this wasn't sitting too lightly with her.

The wardrobe was smiling happily by the window at the edge of the room. She had no idea what had just happened downstairs. All that she knew was that Belle had just got dressed up to dance with the Prince. I didn't want to tell her that they had barely got to touch hands.

Shaking my head, I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm sorry about all of this, Belle."

"It isn't you're fault, Sasuke," she replied from her bed. "I just wish I could have done something to help."

"Me and you both."

"He cares about you, you know."

Mrs. Potts waddled over to where I had placed Chip on the floor. She sent him a reassuring smile before sending one up at me. At that, I felt my eyebrows pull low in confusion. What was she talking about? Who cared about me? She was most certainly talking about Belle, whom had just had her first date foiled by the Organization XIII.

But, no. She looked up at me with those motherly eyes and continued to smile. She was talking about me. Most importantly, she was talking about me and Sora. _Oh._

"He doesn't mean to do it on purpose. It's an instinct. Men are like that," she added.

Lumiere jumped into the conversation, raising an accusing brow. "Men are like _what_?"

"Over-protective, territorial, commanding—"

"I get it." He waved her off before she could finish her list.

He moved to get a bit closer to where I stood by the door. His eyes were beginning to get that same look in them that Mrs. Potts' had. It only made me all the more confused. Nothing they were saying was making sense.

"The young one just doesn't want you to get hurt, Mademoiselle," he explained.

I let out a frustrated groan as my hand reached up to run through my hair. "I understand that, but I can fend for myself. I've been fighting right alongside him for who knows how long now."

"You're missing the point, my dear." This time, it was Cogsworth who had chimed in. "You see, someone his age does not really understand that you're going to get hurt sometimes. Neither does the Beast. Eventually, you are going to get a bit roughed, and he doesn't want that because—"

Mrs. Potts cut him off. "He wants to be the one to save you at all times. If he cant . . . he won't forgive himself."

"Well, why does he want to save me?" I asked.

Lumiere chuckled wholeheartedly. "In old fairy tales, how do brave princes manage to capture the hearts of beautiful princesses? By saving them. He's trying to get to you the only way he knows how."

 _Trying to capture my heart?_

Even _they_ were saying that there was something different in the way Sora acted toward me. They were suggesting that he had feelings for me, just like Donald had. It was strange seeing as how they hadn't known Sora that long. Yet, they could still tell, and this was still all going over my head.

I wanted to write it off as the universe playing weird tricks on me, but the coincidences were just too much. There were too many people telling me the same thing for it not to have been true. There was too much evidence, and it seemed like even he himself was throwing signs at me.

He liked me.

 _Woah._

Or, at least a little bit. There was a small shot at me getting what I wanted. There was a small shot at there being an _us_. I wanted to think that there was. Everyone else thought that there was, so why couldn't I? And maybe . . . just maybe . . . Sora and I could be something more.

Tingling sensations gathered in the pits of my stomach. My nerves were standing on high alert to keep up with my racing heartbeat. There was no way. I shouldn't have been a character in this story, let alone the crush of the hero. It made no sense. But, at the same time, it did.

I chuckled nervously, biting my bottom lip to hide away my smile. "I-I think y-you guys are romanticizing Sora just a tad too much."

"I don't know, dear," Mrs. Potts encouraged. "Or are you blocking yourself from the truth?"

Blocking myself from the truth? Was I really not allowing myself to see the two of us together?

My thoughts were interrupted by the mattress shifting. We turned around to see what had caused the noise, only to see the Princess of Heart dashing across the room. The actions were so fast that we were shocked to feel a breeze blow fast. She was holding up the skirt of her dress to make it easier on herself. The first thing that came to mind was to block the door. But, I wasn't given the chance to.

Her yellow gloved-hand threw the door open. Without another word, she ran out of it, and down the hallway where she disappeared from view. No hints of warning were given to anyone. All that there was were gasping, and the sounds of her heels rushing toward the stairs.

"Belle, come back!" Chip shouted.

I didn't bother grabbing onto any of the animate objects before I ran after her. There was a chance she could have been running toward danger. If that was the case, it probably wasn't smart to bring the rest of them along. So, once my body was in the hall, my hand reached back to close the door behind me. There were a few shouts of protests, but nothing too much. It was for the best. Even they knew that. If Belle was going to get hurt, there was no need for them to as well.

She was most likely off to go see the Beast. All of them were in the ballroom several minutes ago. Though, I didn't need to know that to be able to tell where she was going. I heard the sounds of her footsteps.

I followed her down the dark hallway and down the stairs. At the bottom of them, the light shining out from the ballroom was no longer there. That meant that they weren't there. Glimpses of Belle running past the double doors to get to the West wing stairs flashed past my eye. My assumptions were true, then. The boys weren't in there.

Wherever they were, I could still hear the angry shouting of the Beast deep within the castle. He sounded pissed off to say the least. It was one of those frustrated voice. It made me feel sorry for Sora, Donald, and Goofy to have to bear witness to it. It made me feel sorry for what Belle was about to get herself into.

She led me to where the Beast's bedroom sat in the heart of the West wing. The elegant doors were wide open. Light from the room spilled out into the hallway in splashes of white and blue. Belle chose this moment to finally walk. One foot in front of the other, she crept around the corner to peer into the room. She must have been aware that I was following her, for she had made space for me to spy in, too.

Inside, things were still scattered about, destroyed from when the prince had gotten possessed by his rage. None of it had been cleaned up yet. The Beast was pacing back and forth in the farthest corner of the room. Goofy, Donald, and Sora stood in the center of the room with their eyebrows raised. Confusion was written across their faces as they watched him.

Belle was the first to walk in. The two of us stepped into the threshold quietly as if making a sound would throw everything off. Sora, Goofy, and Donald turned to look at us when they heard our footsteps. Sora in particular released a breath I hadn't known that he was holding. He should have been happy to see that Belle was okay seeing as how she was such an important aspect to Kingdom Hearts. He was most likely glad to see hurt unhurt.

Belle took baby steps to get closer to the Beast. Her lips were pulled into a bit of a frown, and her eyebrows were pulled low. She appeared concerned for him. Her footsteps were unsure and even shaky from time to time. Nonetheless, the boys made sure to step out of the way when she got closer, allowing her to reach the man that she secretly loved.

He didn't look at her. He kept pacing, even walking around her if need be. My feet carried me over to where Donald stood; he couldn't have been serious. All of this was for her, yet here he was, paying no attention to the person that mattered most.

"What's wrong?" Belle asked. "Please, calm down."

The Beast shrugged her advances off. The young girl flinched from how harsh he was being to her. This was the first time that any of us had seen him be rude to her. He was so angry for what reason? What was so upsetting that he would forget about Belle's feelings?

"Calm down?!" he roared at her, glaring down with cold, blue eyes. "You just _had_ to have a party, didn't you?! Don't you see what's happened?!"

I took a cautious step forward. "Hey, what's with you?"

"The rose . . . My rose . . ."

He glanced back at the pedestal where the glowing rose in the glass container sat. Or, at least, it usually sat. It wasn't there anymore. The pedestal was empty, leaving behind nothing but the sadness of what was once there. It was probably the reason why the room was so cold now. It wasn't as enchanting as it used to be.

I raised an eyebrow. "What? That? He took it?"

Belle reached out to place a hand on his fur-covered bicep. "But surely you can find another rose—"

"Silence!" His voice was so brutal that the girl jumped back in fear. "You don't know anything!"

He was angry now. His temper was controlling his actions more than the logical side of him was. It was clear in the way his claws swung around, crashing into anything that got into his way. He wasn't thinking anymore. This was what the Organization wanted so bad. They wanted the raging beast that was before us.

The Beasts claws were getting closer to Belle despite her words of protest. She was far from where his train of thought was. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one who had noticed. Sora jumped in front of her to shield her away from accidentally getting hurt. He looked angry, too.

It brought a smile to my face. Ever the hero, he was. Even if it was someone else's, it was great to see him standing up for the right things.

"That's not fair!" he yelled at the Beast, eyes hardening over in a glare. "Don't take it out on Belle. It's not like she stole it!"

The Beast shook his head. He knew what he was doing, but at the same time, he didn't care. It confused me. The last time we were here, he seemed so in love. What had changed? Has a plant messed with his heart?

Belle looked at the ground sadly. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Sora said.

She thought that this was all her fault. I could see it on her face. The way her eyebrows furrowed, and the way her bottom lip trembled the slightest bit . . . she felt guilty for something that she didn't do.

The Beast stared out through the window with a distant expression. "Belle . . . Everyone . . . I want you to leave the castle. Look at me. This is what I am. When you first got here, I tried to change. But, I was only fooling myself. I can't be any different. I'll always be a beast. So, I should live like a beast. With no one. Alone. Goodbye . . . Belle . . ."

Belle's big, brown eyes watered on the verge of tears. One could have easily described it as her getting her heart shattered. Heartbroken. He had managed to rip out what she treasured most, and broke it. It was way beyond sadness.

She stepped out from where she was protected behind Sora. The boy put his arms down, watching as she got closer to the prince. Shaking, her placed a hand over her heart, a sincere gesture, and sniffled.

"You can't mean that . . ." she started.

If there was a time to say that he was pulling a prank, now would have been it. But, he didn't. He didn't turn to look her in the eye like she so desperately wanted. He let her reach out to him knowing that he didn't want to reach out for her. She was left clinging onto something that he didn't want her to have anymore. And, in that moment, a single tear escaped out of the corner of Belle's pretty eyes.

Goofy let out an upset sigh. "Aw, I think his mind's all made up."

"Yeah." Sora nodded, turning to the heartbroken brunette. "Look, Belle. Leave this to us. If we can get the Beast's rose back, he'll calm down."

All of his words of re-encouragement went in one ear and out through the other. All the light fled from her face. She seemed . . . hollow, like a statue, frozen to bare the torture of her breakup on repeat.

She picked up the edges of her dress and left the room without so much as a sob. Princesses didn't cry. Her chin was still held up even with tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. I knew then that I wanted to do all that I could to make things right for them. They didn't deserve this; it was neither of their faults. Yet, here they were, self-loathing and heartbroken.

We trailed out sympathetically behind her. Outside of the bedroom, at the bottom of the stairs, stood all of the friendly cursed objects. They must had overheard what happened after they came here from Belle's room. Belle's old room . . . considering that the Beast had grown heartless.

She didn't say anything to them, either. She continued to walk out of the East wing with full intention of putting distance between herself and the prince. Or, more like putting distance between herself and everyone. She needed to be alone. So, we stayed were we were, watching as she disappeared from view.

"Poor child," Mrs. Potts sympathized. "How could it have come to this?"

Lumiere hung his head in disappointment. "And they were looking forward to this evening."

Mrs. Potts, suddenly in a better mood, turned into the Frenchman's direction. "Now, now. No need to be sad. Once the rose is back safely, this will all be over."

"Hmph." Sora's sculpted brows pulled low as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What's so special about one rose, anyways?"

"If the master can love and be lover in return, the spell will be broken. We'll all be human again," Cogsworth reminded.

Donald nodded. "Yeah, you told us."

"But, there is a time limit," Lumiere interrupted. "He must find his true love before the last petal falls from that rose. But, that is not all. Over time, caring for that rose has become a cherished part of the master's daily life. It's as though all of his hopes and dreams are tied to that single bloom . . .

I frowned. "Poor Beast. Then we _have_ to get it back."

"We can't without Beast, though." Sora ran a hand through his spiky hair. "If it's that important to him, he's got to do it himself."

I bit the inside of my cheek. "So, how are we going to do that?"

He never answered my question. My words fell upon deaf ears, fading into the background noise that no one was paying attention to. Sora, in particular, was too occupied to say anything. Rather than telling me, he chose to show me. His head nodded toward the stairs to signal for us to follow. They were the stairs to get back up into the Beast's bedroom.

His plan consisted of us going back in there. What it was for, I did not know. Though, knowing the boy that I liked, it wasn't to give up. He looked too determined to give up now. After all, this wasn't our lives that the Beast was shutting out. It was his, Belle's, Lumiere's, Chip's, and everyone set under the curse. Sora wasn't going to allow that to happen—never in a million years.

The Beast was still standing there, sadly looking out of the window, when we came back in. The room felt so different after everything that had took place moments ago. The aura of it was off. This was a room for misfortune, I concluded. All of the bad things happened in this place.

Sora broke free from where we stood as a group. His legs were taking long strides to get him to where the Beast was. And quietly he walked regardless of how strongly he felt. The Beast didn't even hear him once he was positioned directly behind him.

"Hey, Beast," the teenager called out.

The Beast shook his head as if that would make everything go away. "Leave me alone."

"C'mon, you need to hear this," Sora said. "You used to be fearless. You would have given your life to save Belle. Don't you know what that meant to us? What that meant to _me_? When I was all by myself in Hollow Bastion last year, you were there to put my head back on straight. You helped me remember what was important to me. You gave me courage. Hmph . . . maybe you should have kept some of it for yourself. I mean, are you really going to throw your happiness away?"

He meant well by his speech. The purpose of it was to raise the Beast's spirits, but it sounded like the opposite. His voice had a sharp tone at the edge of every word. He was beginning to get too into it—it sounded like he was angry with him. The Beast didn't need anger right now. Right now, he needed someone to reassure him so that he could go after the girl of his dreams.

I walked forward to place a hand on Sora's shoulders. Almost instantly, he stopped talking. It was a good thing. The more he kept going, the more it sounded like he was irritated. His blue eyes peered down at me questioningly, then he released a breath, nodding. He was silently telling me that I could take over. Even he knew that he was getting worked up.

I cleared my throat to take on a lighter tone with him. "The rose is your only hope, isn't it? Well, it's the only hope for Cogsworth and the others, too. Do you think Chip wants to live out the rest of his childhood as a teacup? Don't throw away your last chance. Remember what it was like before Belle lived here?"

His face visibly grimaced. That went to show that life wasn't all that great back then. That meant that my speech was heading down the right path.

"See," I tried, softly. "You can't give up. Not now."

"I know one thing . . ."

Sora raised a brow at him. "What is it?"

The Beast let out a snarl. "This castle belongs to me. Xaldin will never be welcomed here."

 _Yes!_

He was on-board with getting Belle back. Not only that, but he wanted to end this certain Organization member's reign of terror for once and for all. His previous grieving expressions had been replaced with ones of bravery. The Beast that we all knew and loved was back. I couldn't have been more proud of him in that moment.

He slipped past us on the way to the door. His shoulders were no longer slumped. His head was held high in pride. He looked like a completely rejuvenated person. For that reason, Sora stared at me in confusion.

"You never stop amazing me," he said. "You always manage to raise people's spirits."

The compliment brought a warm smile to my face. "My heart just _might_ be the same size as yours after all."

That made him smile, too. Raising a hand, he ruffled my hair before following after the Beast. However, before he did, he said one sentence loud and clear:

"Maybe your heart just _might_ be a little bit bigger than mine."

* * *

 **Hello! I know it's literally been forever and you guys are so fed up with Sasuke :). On the bright side, Sasuke knows now, you got to read about Sora's awesome father, and I just finished my exams. Chapters should be going out a lot faster now that it's a smooth ride for the next few weeks until summer vacation.** **Also, I decided to do something for this story that should add more depth into it.**

 ***Fun Fact of the Chapter: Because the parents' names were never mentioned in the series, I created them designed around the elemental theme of the main characters. Riku means "land," so Demetrius means "lover of Earth" and Kaia means "Earth." Sora means sky, so Anemon** ** _é (pronounced Ah-nem-oh-nay) means "wind flower" and Wayra means "wind."_**

 ***Fun Fact of the Chapter Part Two: Anemon** ** _é was originally spelled Anemone and pronounced Ah-nem-oh-nee, but I wanted his mother to have a similar sounding name to Namin_** ** _é's._**

 **The fun facts are just here for fun. Sometimes they'll be useless facts. Sometimes they'll be about the plot. I thought they would be cool, and if you don't like them, just skip over them :) And now I'm rambling . . .**

 **~ Insane**


	20. A Thousand Times Better

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETEEN: A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER**

 **SASUKE**

 **"The best feeling is when you look at him and he's already staring."  
** **\- Unknown**

* * *

 **WHERE COULD BELLE** have gone in such a short amount of time?

We wandered around the dark castle aimlessly in search of the girl. Doors that we had never even ventured through in the West wing were thrown open. Though, most of them harbored nothing but dust and darkness. We had checked every hiding spot in her bedroom, too, figuring that was the first place she could have gone. Her little belongings that had personalized the room, such as her gold-coloured brush, were not there any longer. It seemed like all traces of the beautiful girl had been wiped from existence.

With every minute that passed that Belle wasn't here, the Beast filled more and more with regret. He constantly mumbled about how he wanted to apologize to her throughout our search. If he found her, he would make it up to her, he kept saying. Part of me felt bad for him, but then again, he deserved it. He was the one who yelled at her for something that wasn't her fault. She had done the right thing by leaving. If she never forgave him, I would understand why.

But, I hoped that she would. From what we had learned from the others, the Beast was miserable and angry before Belle came along. It was the typical case of boy meets girl. That was how all love stories began. She changed his life, and whether she knew it or not, he changed hers, too. They were amazing together, and filled they gloomy castle with a new sense of hope. They made the dead roses seem like they were blooming—the place suddenly felt like a home.

Perhaps that was why I wanted to help out so much. They deserved a bit of bliss that some people never get to experience. They didn't need to have everything ripped away from them. They deserved to find love like everyone else did.

There weren't many other places to look for the missing girl. We could have searched for hours and there still would have been no telling. In fact, it was nearly turned upside down from how much we looked. Not a single elegant door was left closed, not a shaded corner unchecked, and definitely no signs of the brunette. She was gone like a memory lost in the argument. She had taken the Beast's commands seriously and fled from everyone, leaving us wondering where she had vanished to.

 _That was it . . . she just . . . left._

My feet shuffled against the foyer floor, watching while Goofy went into the parlor for what felt like the tenth time already. There were no signs of her each time those doors opened. They all were so dumbfounded—so frustrated that they were beginning to waste time looking in places that they had already checked. I seemed to be the only one who was trying to think logically.

If she wasn't anywhere inside of the castle, she must have not been in it at all. She was beyond the walls retreating to the forest, most likely. The thought of her pretty dress getting stained by mud brought a frown to my face.

"Guys," I started.

The four boys turned toward be with a newfound interest. The expressions on their faces were covered in exhaustion and worry. More specifically the Beast, who had been beating himself up over her disappearance the moment she left. They all came to a stop; their breaths were rushed and their pulses raced. From where I stood, I could hear the pounding of their hearts, scared for what could come.

"I think I know where Belle is."

The Beast's blue eyes went wide. "Where?"

"Well, I don't _exactly_ know where she is." My gaze traveled over the foyer once more. "You told her to get out. If she's not in the castle, where else could she be?"

Sora's brows furrowed with realization. "She left."

The atmosphere changed; it was no longer one of regret, but one of desperation. They knew that it made sense for her to have left. It was difficult to think that it was just now coming to us. She was just doing what she had been told. Sadly, that meant following in the order the Beast feared the most.

The prince sprinted past us—so fast a gust of wind blew around my hair. His actions were concentrated on finding the woman that he loved. Everything he was doing was in his power to find her. That, itself, was more beautiful than any apology he could have told her. If she were here to see how frantic he was without her by his side, she would understand. The both of them would understand how oblivious they had been this whole time. It was what I was hoping for.

His clawed hands forced the front doors open. His breath was coming out in foggy clusters against the cold air from outside. The adrenaline he felt . . . we all did. It was a certain rush that came from missing a good friend. When he rushed down the old, white steps, not caring if we followed behind him, we all felt it. Our chests heaved up in down with heavy gasps, our shoes scuffed against the ground, and our eyes searched. _Please, don't let it be too late._

It was much bigger than that, though. Much more to it than what met the eye.

The castle sat upon a hill surrounded by an endless amount of forest. Evergreen trees cast shadows on the darkness; the sun had long since retreated down the horizon. It left behind twinkling stars and a moon that lit up the Victorian-styled courtyard. Wind rustled through the eerie branches off where the forest trail led. If Belle had ran out through here, she would have went in that direction. It would take hours to find her that way. Maybe even days.

Goofy's gaze fitted around the courtyard. His dark nose was twitching in that way it seemed to do whenever we were looking for someone. He was a bloodhound, after all. It made me wonder if he actually did use his sense of smell to help him out. Judging by the look on his face as he pointed a finger upwards, it did.

"Gawrsh, is that her?"

We all looked up to where he was gesturing. A balcony protruded from the castle walls, overlooking the courtyard from how high up it was. There was a figure resting against the metal railing of it. The person held their head low as if they had been defeated by some invisible opponent.

The long, elegant dress was a dead giveaway. It was Belle. She must have managed to maneuver around us during our search for her inside. Whenever we entered a hall, she must have exited it. Either that or she was exceptionally great at hiding.

Donald began to quack, jumping around to get the girl's attention. He swung around his fist, stomped his webbed feet on the ground, and screamed words that I couldn't understand. They were all jumbled together, much like a toddler would have. And sure enough, after a few moments, her face tilted toward our direction. Donald let out a relieved sigh.

Her smile was big enough to see from where we stood. Her makeup was still fixed up the way it was before everything had been ruined. Her hair was still flawless. It was hard to imagine that anything wrong had happened, but the furrowing of her eyebrows were a reminder. This was all very much real, and there were still wrongs that needed to be set right. That included patching things up between her and the prince.

She lifted something above her head as she shouted for our attention. The object was obvious. A glowing rose inside of a glass case sat protected in her hold. It was the one that had caused this whole rift. It was the one that the Beast was so fixated on guarding. It confused me . . . Where did she find that if Xaldin was the one who took it in the first place?

Sora's hand raised to send her a thumbs up. His grin was so wide that his eyes were almost shut. Beside him, the Beast's expression shifted to one of relief. Whether he was glad that she was okay, that she had the rose with her, or both, I did not know. All that was apparent, though, was the fact that he looked better than he did before. He looked happier in regards to his panic moments before.

At least, until Belle screamed.

The scream was that of nightmares. It was the kind that sent shivers down people's spine. It tugged at the heart strings just by the terror in it. Upon further inspection, I realized why. The man in the black cloak appeared behind the girl, clamping a hand over her mouth to keep her from making too much noise. It was a set up this whole time. He had conveniently placed the rose somewhere for her to find it and come looking for us. He had thought this all out, and we fell for it.

The Beast let out a snarl. "Belle!"

His cries did nothing to stop the man. Not that we had planned for them to. We could do nothing as he jumped down from the balcony with the girl in his grip. His Nobody abilities allowed him to land safely on the ground a ways ahead of us. One of his arms were keeping Belle in place, the other was secured around the rose. Even with the hood on, I could see the evil twinkle underneath it. He thought that he had us beat.

"You!" The Beast took a step forward. "Get out of my castle, now!"

The man shrugged, the chains on his cloak clanking together. "With pleasure. But, I'd rather travel light . . . What shall I leave behind? Belle, or the rose?"

The Beast growled in frustration. The Organization member was making him choose between the two things that he cared about most. Though, it should have been an easy decision. I prayed that it would be. Belle looked scared for her life pressed against the man's side; if he chose the rose over her, I didn't know what I'd do. _It for sure wouldn't be a step closer to an apology._

He wouldn't. He couldn't just give her up for the rose, could he? He had been so set on finding her, but now that he was faced with an ultimatum, no one knew what he would do. The rose was the whole reason he had lashed out on the girl. If he had the chance to get it back by any cost . . . would he take it?

"Belle!" The Beast called out.

At that, the girl moved her elbow to ram into Xaldin's chest. The bone collided hard enough to send a thud echoing through the courtyard. It knocked the wind out of him, causing him to stumble backwards from the blow. Thankfully, Belle took the moment to grab the rose and run. There was no need for the Beast to choose. She had managed to save her own self.

We sent a round of cheers her way. Her heels clanked against the stone ground in attempt to get distance between her and the man. Her breath was coming out rushed to match her running speed—fear and adrenaline had long since set in. It was a good thing. She had pulled that off and I shouldn't have expected anything less. She was Belle, after all. She was filled with courage.

But, we were far from done.

Xaldin's hands reached up to yank the hood off of his head, allowing us to see his face. And perhaps that was the thing that disturbed me the most about him. Getting to see the person under the hood was a whole new experience in itself. It also didn't help that he looked a lot more menacing without it than with.

His brows were thick, black, and pulled low, almost matching the frown on his lips. His skin was pale. It made his dark blue irises seem to glow in the night. Long, black dreadlocks sat pulled back into a ponytail. Mutton chops formed on his cheeks, sticking out a bit from their length. If there was anything that I had imagined him looking like . . . it wasn't this. No, this was something completely . . . different.

The man wasted no time getting into a fighting stance. The blow from Belle must have pissed him off. She had single-handedly ruined his plans, which didn't seem to have sat well with him.

His fingers formed to snap, sending thundering tornadoes crashing down from the sky. Gusts of wind picked up around the courtyard; I had to shield my eyes to make sure nothing got into them. The tornadoes spun around him like a protective barrier. But, it was anything but that. The winds only lasted a second before they disappeared, leaving behind six sharp-ended, silver and purple lances. The lances levitated around him, defying gravity like everything else the Organization had. He was ready to fight us.

The Beast jumped into battle first. He was so fed up with Xaldin attempting to take over his castle. It was apparent in the way he swung his heavy claws at the man. It was filled with so much anger. He was putting his all into what he hoped would be the final battle. What we all hoped would be the final battle.

Goofy rushed in with his shield. The lances, though, guarded Xaldin from both of their attacks. The pieces of metal spun around him fast enough to keep anything from touching him. It was almost impossible for us to win at these circumstances.

Just on time, Xaldin sent out a few of his lances toward Donald. It left a big enough gap in his protective barrier for Goofy, the Beast, Sora, and me to attack him. He didn't realize his mistake until it was too late to send them back. We swarmed through his barrier, raining down blows before he could defend himself again. However, it wasn't long until the flying lances chased after us.

We had to retreat. All except for the Beast. No matter how hard the lances worked to fend him off, the prince wasn't going anywhere. He swung his claws whether it hit the man or not. Eventually, he pried the lances away, giving us a chance to strike at Xaldin for a few moments again. That, too, didn't last for long.

A lot of his attacks were wind-based. The lances moved around the courtyard at fast speeds because of the wind that Xaldin was using to blow them around. It gave him an unfair advantage with the gusty winds of the night blowing beyond the trees. The playing field was fit for his special abilities. Though what he had in speed, we had in strength and numbers. Every time we attacked him in groups, it hit him harder than he expected for it to. It was evident in the way he panicked a bit whenever Sora got his hits in.

We were wearing him out and, before long, his attacks had gotten sloppy. They were more instinctive rather than the game plan that he was following at first. The lances would spread out in sporadic bursts, leaving us to run for cover so that we wouldn't get skewed. Then, if we got too far away from them, he would use his wind powers to bring us closer. It was the first time that we had ever fought someone in the Organization. I knew there was a reason as to why they scared me so much.

I had stuck to the strategy of staying in the outfield while they worked at getting rid of the lances. Then, after they were gone, I would rush in swinging with all of my might. I had chosen the strategy partially because it was the best that a person of my strength could do. There wasn't much that my weaker attacks could do to knock the course of the winds off balance. That, and because I was too afraid to get caught in the crossfire. Fighting Heartless for all of these years had taught me a thing or two about bravery, but this was something else. This . . . was a full on war with someone with a lot more experience than we had combined.

My focus was on helping Donald. All of my senses were tuned in to him, so much so that the Beast's shouting was almost inaudible. He had warned everyone to move out of the way, but it never got around to reaching me. I was too busy fixated on my comrade. Instead, I turned my head to see what the prince was talking about. Flashes of metal blew past the corners of my eyes. A lance.

The Beast had ran over and swung his fist to block it, but it didn't work. It did the opposite of what he wanted. It sent the lance spinning . . . the rod part of it crashing into my forearm.

The cracking noise had to be loud. It rang throughout the area in a way that made my stomach twist. My teammates glanced over at me, wondering what had happened. Yet, I was sure the scream that I let out was as much info as they needed.

In my childhood—or at least what I remember of it—I was never one for pain. I could count a number of times where I had gotten banged up and didn't cry. Such as the time where I had nearly got a concussion from trying to rock climb on the islands. It was something that I had learned from Riku. Never cry. It was a sign of weakness. But, now, it was nearly impossible for me not to.

It broke. The force of the fast-moving lance had collided with my arm hard enough to snap the bone in half. Or, at least it felt like it. My left arm was cold at first, then scorching hot with the reality of having been snapped. Sharp pains struck all throughout the appendage, surfacing yelps of agony from my throat. What felt like hot needles attacked the nerves, and my right hand dropped my Keyblade, reaching to cradle the injured arm. The move only made it worse; the contact sent more pain up my shoulders.

 _I don't remember the last time I shed a tear,_ I always remembered Riku saying. It was the truth as far as I knew. I looked up to him, so since he never cried, I did my best to make sure that I didn't either. Granted that rule was broken in Hollow Bastion, it felt wrong to have it happen another time.

Donald dropped what he was doing. He ran over to me, yelling out my name as if it was going to make a difference. And he didn't dare touch it. He stood in panic when another wave of pain shot through me. My eyes squeezed shut, the corners of them turning red on the verge of tears. It was indescribable—the pain of it all.

"It might be broken."

Sora turned his head, then. His blue eyes were darting left and right, bouncing between the battle and the two of us. His brows were pulled into that look of concentration. _What was going to happen now?_

"Get her to Belle!" was all that he said.

His arm moved to swing the Keyblade in an attack. He was going back into battle. Not that it bothered me. I hadn't expected him to drop what he was doing in the middle of a fight to make sure that I was okay. Not like Donald had. He was a necessity to the fight, and even with tears welling in my eyes, I knew that he was doing the right thing. Right now, my injury wasn't nearly as big as what was going on around me.

The look Donald gave me was pleading. Both of us knew that sticking around any longer could result in more pain. So I calmed myself down, and followed him up the stairs.

The front doors had been left ajar where Belle had retreated through them. She had been in such a rush to get away that she didn't think to close the door. It made it easy for the two of us to slip through it; Donald let me in first so that he could close the doors behind us.

Inside, Belle paced around the foyer, her heels clicking against the flooring. The sound of us coming in startled her so much so that she let out a gasp. A yellow-gloved hand rested over her chest as labored breathes blew past her parted lips. Her brown eyes searched us in surprised . . . then in horror when she looked down at my arm. It was pulsating now—the skin stained a violent purple. She knew how bad it was the moment she saw me, but she tried to conceal it with a worried smile.

She jogged over to meet us halfway. "Oh, what happened?"

I couldn't respond to her. My teeth were clamped down on my tongue hard enough to draw blood. It was all in attempt to keep from shouting out. The last thing we needed was for Xaldin to know just how much damage he had done to me.

Donald scanned over my forearm before he reached into his inventory. His brows were pulled low in concentration. I was shocked that he wasn't screaming at me for being careless.

"Good, it's not as bad as I thought. It's only fractured," he explained. "I'll heal you with a hi-potion, but that's not going to fix this. No potion is going to heal human bone."

I swallowed. "Then what is?"

He shook his head, promising to fill me in once the fight outside was over with. The three of them out there alone wouldn't be enough to take the man down. It was crazy to think that the fight probably would have been over by now had it been a Heartless. This one was going to take a lot more work.

He handed a glass bottle with glowing green liquid inside to me. My shaky fingers worked to screw the top off. My right arm was still in commission, thankfully. Once it was off, I raised the bottle to my lips, taking in the liquid. The sweet taste of potions had always made the hurt worth it, but not this time. I didn't give a damn about the taste of it. If it was enough to get rid of the pain, it didn't matter.

The sharp jabs in my arms dulled out to a numb buzz. It felt like my arm had fallen asleep. Pins and needles, they called it. However, I could feel that it wasn't doing much else besides numbing it.

Promises of return spilled from Donald's mouth. Before any of us could reply, he left to get back into battle. And when he did, I collapsed onto the ground, ignoring the stray tears that had escaped.

It was the first time that I hadn't been able to contribute to a fight even though I tried. I felt like I had failed everyone by getting hurt. I was supposed to be out there fighting alongside them, not in the castle hiding away with the princess and my fractured arm. If only I had paid attention to my surroundings . . . it wouldn't have turned out this way. I felt like such a . . . failure . . .

"You did good out there," Belle suddenly said. "You fight well."

I let out a dry chuckle, half grateful for her encouragement and half wishing she didn't praise my loss. "I wasn't paying attention. I should've—"

"No," she interrupted. "You're so young. You've lasted this long on skill. Everyone makes mistakes. Today was finally the day that you've made yours. You have to stop being so hard on yourself, Sasuke."

She was right, I supposed. It wouldn't have been the first time that I had gotten hurt in the middle of battle. I had been shot in the arm once, and now that same arm was fractured. And just like those other times, I would bounce back to fight another day. Though, with the way that Donald had put it, it would be quite a while.

Maybe that was what I needed. I didn't want to admit it, but I was stressed. This life was stressful. It seemed like the older I got, the more things were starting to conflict in my head. With the headaches, the strange visions, homesickness, getting hurt, constantly being tired, I didn't know what was going on anymore. Maybe two days off wasn't enough for me. Maybe I needed a genuine break—to be separated from the life I had lived for a year.

But, I couldn't see that. I couldn't see myself stopping my life for anything. Everything was rushing around me and it felt like I would miss something if I were to slow down. So, I wasn't. I couldn't slow down to collect my thoughts. I knew that there were people out there who needed help, evil people were out there causing chaos, and my best friends were nowhere to be seen. How could I possibly stop?

 _Wayra would know. He would know what to do._ I sighed. _If only he were here to give me some advice. I had never planned on being away from the old man this long._

It wasn't long until there was another shout outside. This one didn't sound like it came from one of the boys. Rather, it was the deep and raspy tone that belonged to Xaldin.

Belle gazed down at me where I sat on the ground. My eyes stayed glued to the floor. We were silent, awaiting what was to happen next. It seemed like an eternity that we were trapped in the stillness. Then, finally, the doors opened further, and the four boys stumbled in.

Sora had a hand on his shoulder as he rotated the appendage in its socket. He let out a groan at the popping noises it made. Red liquid had formed a steady trail down his forehead, trickling down the bridge of his nose. It leaked out from a thin cut by his hairline. Blood. He must have gotten hurt out there.

Goofy looked beyond tired in the way he dropped his shield on the way in. They looked vulnerable now. That proved that the Organization member had been defeated and wasn't going to be bothering the castle anymore. It was good to know. I didn't think I could bring myself to face another one of them any time soon.

The Beast's cloak blew around his as he rushed to Belle's side. Goofy walked over to help me off of the floor, being careful not to touch my left arm. I was thankful for that. He was considerate, a quality that made him a good friend. He had made sure that I was okay before he moved out of the way to let Donald further inspect me.

"Sasuke." Sora jogged over to me, eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry. I had to stay focused. I couldn't get you out of there myself or . . . Are you okay? Were you crying? Oh, damn, you're crying! I should have done something. Does it hurt? Let me see it."

He reached out to hold my arm, but I winced, flinching away. He instantly shot out a string of apologies. He probably had said sorry over a million times in the past two minutes. It brought a smile to my face. Despite everything that happened, it made me forget the situation. He cared about me as much as everyone told me he did. Not that I had ever doubted it, but it felt good to see him express it.

"Sora, your forehead," I pointed out.

"That's nothing. I'm okay." He turned to Donald with furrowed brows. "What's wrong with her arm?"

"It's fractured," the duck answered. "I gave her a hi-potion to numb the pain, but that's not going to do anything. She's going to have to get a cast and let that arm heal properly."

"Well, how's she gonna heal her arm goin' from world to world?" Goofy asked.

Donald sighed. "She's not. She's going to have to stay with Aerith in Hollow Bastion for at least six weeks."

"Six weeks?!" Sora and I repeated in unison.

I wiped the stray tears from my cheeks. "You want me to sit around Hollow Bastion for at _least_ six weeks? What about you guys? I have to do something! It's not my dominant arm that's injured, I can still fi—"

"Don't even say it." Donald held up a hand. "I don't want to risk you permanently disabling your arm if it doesn't heal right. No if's, and's, or but's."

I hung my head in shame. As if to ease the blow, Sora placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. Not the injured arm. He had made sure to steer clear of that one.

I was going to be with the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee for a full month and a half. Who knew what could happen in that amount of time? Something bad could happen, and most importantly, I couldn't see myself being . . . away from Sora that long.

There hadn't been a time that I could remember being away from him that long. Awake, at least. We had been together for years. It was going to be too different not seeing his smile everyday. And with that, my smile faded away.

Silence fell around the foyer. I could feel it: the pity that they all had for me. They knew how much this was going to affect me. They knew that it was going to be difficult for me to go through this. Yet, I sent them smiles to tell them that it would be fine. Fake smiles, of course, but I didn't need the sympathy. Right now, what I needed was for my arm to hurry up and heal.

"Oh!"

The quiet was interrupted by Belle gasping. There was the sound of her ball gown shuffling as she gripped it, her heels smacking against the ground when she ran. She retreated up the stairs leading into the ballroom. The Beast was chasing after her withing seconds.

He had not once mentioned anything about Xaldin or the fight. He was too wrapped up in the wellness of Belle to consider anything else. Hopefully, she realized that. It would do the both of them good to see how much they cared about one another.

 _Here I am . . . fractured arm and still worrying about other people's problems . . ._

We followed after the two of them. Like I had thought, she made a beeline straight past the double doors, into the ballroom. Placing a gloved hand on the door, Sora made sure that it was opened wide enough so that I wouldn't bump my arm into it. I whispered a thanks you. Ever the gentleman whether blood was dripping down his face or not.

The ballroom was exactly how it was when we came to this world. Nothing had been altered. The golden-brown floors still shined without scuffs on them. Royal windows stood high in the wall across from the entrance. The chandelier hung brightly above, beaming down on the smiling girl. She smoothed out the skirt of her dress with a chuckle. It made it feel like this was all some sort of bad dream. Not even the aura around the room had been disrupted by Xaldin and the Heartless.

The light reflected off of the glass rose case. It sat in the center of the room as if it was on display. Much to the Beast's pleasure. Belle bent down to pick it up before holding it out for the prince to take. One could have almost _seen_ the happiness radiate off of her.

"Here," she beamed. "It's yours again."

The Beast took a few unsure steps forward. He didn't know if she was angry with him, though it should have been obvious. She went through all of this hassle so that she could retrieve the thing he treasured the most. Just so that he could smile again. That should have been enough to let him know that he wasn't treading on thin ice anymore. In fact, he was doing just the opposite.

He took the rose from her with an apologetic expression. "Belle . . ."

"I know." Her forlorn gaze traveled down to the floor. "You want me to leave the castle."

There was no other pair more alike than they were. After everything that had happened, she still thought that the Beast held a grudge against her. After he had risked his life defending her, his castle, and the people in it. If anything, that was one of the most ultimate acts of loyalty. I just wished that they could both see that there were no hard feelings on either party.

He cleared his throat. "What matters is . . . you weren't hurt by Xaldin. You're safe, and . . . I'm very grateful to you . . . for bringing back the rose to me. Thank you."

That brought a smile to her face. "It's the least I could do. You've been good to me and you didn't have to be."

"Listen, Belle . . ."

"Yes?"

Anything that attempted to come out of his mouth was jumbled up. He was choking, struggling to find the words to say. He knew exactly what to do, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her that he loved her. That he wanted her to stay despite denying it earlier. I couldn't blame him because I wasn't one to talk. I was in the same predicament with someone I shouldn't have been.

He glanced over at the four of us. His eyes were pleading for words of encouragement. His muscles were tense, on edge due to anxiety. Behind him, our cursed friends walked out of their hiding places. They must have sensed things were over, whispering for him to continue with his words. This wasn't just about the prince and Belle. This was about releasing the curse over them, too.

I sent him a smile so big that even _I_ could feel the dimples carve into my cheeks. "C'mon!"

"You can do it," Cogsworth cheered. "We have confidence!"

"Don't be bashful now!" Goofy encouraged.

Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, the Beast looked back down at the princess. "Belle . . . I'd like you to stay with me . . . Please?"

His words brought a smile to his face. It was his equivalent of telling her that he had feelings for her. Even if it wasn't me that he was talking to, I felt the butterflies. I felt them for her—she must have had them ten fold. All of his emotions were poured into his question, and the answer was clearly written on her face. He already knew that she would say yes.

She smiled with a nod. "I will."

"This calls for a celebration!" Lumiere cut in. "Maestro—music!"

Just as the candle holder requested, classical music began blaring throughout the ballroom. The Beast held up a hand so that Belle could grab it. Then, they started dancing, swaying along to music fit for royalty.

There was no more battling that had to be done. It was all over; Xaldin wouldn't be bothering anyone anymore. Because of that, the once eerie-looking castle felt more . . . homely. Probably due to the fact that there wouldn't be anymore commotion going on. Either that, or that the Beast and Belle were starting to get together. What felt like a curse was lifted from the atmosphere, and what was left was love.

Sora locked his hands behind his head, letting out a sigh. "Hey, did you guys see the look on Belle's face when she grabbed that rose?"

Goofy nodded. "Yep, she sure was havin' fun, all right."

The Beast lifted up his arm for her to spin underneath it. She twirled so much that her dress swirled around in in bursts of yellow. It was beautiful to say the least.

"She is rather unique, isn't she? Always ready for a little adventure," Lumiere added, turning to look at us. "Well, don't just stand there. You're our guests. You're welcome to dance, too."

That was all that he had to say. Donald, Goofy, and the others moved to join in. It would have been hard to with the positive vibes in the room. Smooth instruments filled the area with so much life. Classical music had never been a point of interest to me, but this was different. This was . . . amazing.

My gaze shifted toward Sora. He was the only one who hadn't left to go dance with Belle and the Beast. He was focused on his fingers as if they were the most entertaining thing in the room. Everything must have been tuned out in his head for he nearly jumped in shock when my hand reached for his. His eyes searched mine in confusion, looking for a reason as to why I had done it. I simply sent him a smile before tugging his hand toward the dance floor. He didn't move, though. His feet were firmly rooted where he stood; his eyes went wide at my intentions.

"I don't know how to dance," he told me hastily, almost nervously.

That was clearly a lie. His parents were big on music above all of their little talents. His mother, in particular, had been set on teaching us all how to dance. Memories of little Sora, standing on her feet, and swaying with her to the old islander music filled my mind. The gorgeous brunette woman had instilled everything about her within her son. If anything, Sora didn't know how to pretend that he didn't know how to dance.

The dimples were starting to form in my cheeks again. "Oh, yes you do. I've seen you dance with Anemon _é_ _before. Just come on. Please?"_

 _It didn't take much convincing. In an attempt to make it seem like he was being forced into it, he threw his head back with a groan,_ _and allowed me to pull him to the sidelines. I could tell he didn't really mind, though, because he was biting down on his bottom lip to keep from smiling._

I had to bring my numb, fractured arm into consideration. If it was to be moved, I could imagine the pain that it would be in. So, my non-broken arm lifted to hold his once were on the dance floor. His hand wrapped around mine, nearly engulfing it as his other slid to my waist. Without so much as a second thought, he pulled my closer. He was careful not to touch my injured arm. And this time, it was _me_ who tried to keep from smiling. So much for him not knowing how to dance. He had fitted us into position with the slightest of ease.

"What now?" I asked. "I never really paid attention during those lessons."

He let out a low, hearty laugh. His left foot took a step backward, and my right took a step forward. It was easy to fall into a waltzing rhythm when he was the one leading it. He was doing most of the work, making sure to nudge my body in the directions we were to take next. It was a good thing since most of my concentration went into trying to not step on his feet.

I laughed when he raised his arm to twirl me around. My body spun twice until I was pulled back into his chest. Then, he started the slow continuous steps around the room again.

"I thought you didn't know how to dance," I teased.

He shrugged. "I lied."

His forehead had stopped bleeding. It was still cut, of course, but the trail of blood snaking down his face had started to dry up. He must have noticed my staring because he dropped my hand, reaching up to wipe it away. It left red stains on his tanned skin. They were reminders that he had just gotten out of battle.

 _The Organization_ was _just here._

I was tired. Having your arm fractured by the Organization took a lot out of a person. I wanted nothing more than to take a long nap. And I was going to get the chance to, apparently, since I was going to be stuck in Hollow Bastion for days on end.

I was going to be without them for a while. I was going to be stuck in recovery while they went out to save people. It sucked, but, at the same time, it was better than never having my arm heal the right way.

Though, those thoughts were stressful in itself. Instead of thinking about the future, I focused on what was going on around me. I could make out Chip and Mrs. Potts teaching Donald and Goofy how to dance in the corner. That is, whenever Sora's broad shoulders didn't block my vision. The smile on my face couldn't seem to fade.

Sora. God, how I wanted to stay like this forever. Right here where a world of Heartless, Nobodies, and Organizations didn't exist. Where people didn't go missing. And I knew it wasn't the first time that I had wished for that. But, it felt like whenever I was with him—with Sora—those things seemed to disappear.

Did he know that he did that? Did he did that on purpose?

There was a sense of safety that came with his presence. There was a sense of knowing that no serious harm would come to me when we were together. Was this what it was like? Was this what it was like to trust someone with your life?

My head tilted up to look him in those eyes of his. It was then did I know . . . none of this was going to ever be the same.

They say once you realize what you want, you naturally feel the urge to go after it. Sora was my urge. The urge to be closer to him was all that I felt. Electricity forced the hairs on my neck to stand on end. It forced my heart to race under my rib cage. It must have been the way his eyes stayed glued to mine, or the way his smile settled into a serious expression. I didn't know, but in that moment, I didn't feel like his friend. I felt like something else.

"What are we doing anymore?" he whispered, followed by a confused laugh.

I chuckled. "Dancing."

"That's not what I meant," he said.

Of course I knew what he meant. He was talking about _us—_ the inevitable pull I felt when he was around. If there was any way for him to tell me that my feelings were returned . . . that was his. It was his way of telling me that he liked me. He just didn't know how to go about the situation. To me, that was a thousand times better than him telling me straight out.

I had waited too long to let the opportunity pass. All this time . . . all these days that neither of us knew . . .

My body was making the decisions now. Rolling onto the tips of my toes and tilting my head upwards, I felt his grip on my waist tighten the slightest bit. His lashes tickled my cheeks as they fluttered close. Warm breaths fanned across my parted mouth. And in that moment, his lips pressed against mine.

He angled his head so that all of my weight wouldn't be placed on my toes. His hand dropped mine to join his other one, gripping at my waist. My now-free, uninjured hand reached up to run a thumb along the smooth skin of his cheek. And when I went back to standing normally, he repeated the gesture with two soft, slow kisses, smiling into each and every one of them.

How crazy we must have looked. The bleeding Keyblade bearer and the girl with one active arm. There were a million other ways that this could have happened, but this was it. This was our moment. A spur of the moment one, at that. But, I was happy . . . Happy in my little world where seagulls squawked, palm trees swayed, and spiky-haired boys complained about stolen hearts.

* * *

 **Four more weeks of school! Thank goodness! Then I'll be uploading like crazy. Not having the time to upload has been KILLING ME.**

 **Fun Fact of the Chapter: The first character drawings of Sasuke consisted of her having completely blonde hair.**

 **~ Insane**


	21. Parting Ways

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY: PARTING WAYS**

 **SASUKE**

 **"True friends won't grow apart, even if they don't talk every day."  
** **\- Unknown**

* * *

" **SO . . . DO WE** talk about this?"

The sky was dressed in swirls of pinks and oranges. The setting sun had began to retreat behind the structures of the town, drowning the city in lights unimaginable. Birds chirped in trees while children played games on the cobblestone streets. Mothers preparing dinner hummed collective melodies; fathers laughed as they returned home from work. Though, that was only the scene taking place outside of the window.

Inside, the two of us sat in Yuffie and Aerith's bedroom. The window had been opened to allow fresh air in—a cool breeze picked up around the small space. The lock on the door had been clicked to keep out anyone who could have interrupted our conversation. Such had been done by Aerith after he mentioned him wanting to talk to me alone. Unfortunately, it couldn't have made the situation any more awkward than it already was.

We traveled straight to Hollow Bastion once the mission at the Beast's castle was complete. Goodbyes and promises to visit were exchanged between us and the people there—the Beast was the most thankful for us having stopped by. Everyone knew that it had to be cut short due to the hi-potion wearing off on my arm. The burning pain had returned to the bone in thirty minutes. So, we had climbed into the Gummi Ship soon afterwards . . . and I was crammed up with the boy that I had my first kiss with.

He would glance at me through the corner of his eye every now and then. Lights from space lit up his face in bursts that made his irises sparkle. It was almost unrealistic. It was that very side-eye look that made my stomach do flips. It forced blood to my cheeks from the intensity of it. He, on the other hand, remained calm the entire time. Or, at least, I would have thought he was had I not noticed that the tips of his ears were turning red, fighting away a creeping blush.

I, too, found myself guilty of staring every now and then. More specifically, it was his lips that held my attention. They had tasted of metal and an undertone that was hard to recognize. It was a sweet taste that I concluded was all his own; the metal had been from blood and the remnants of his swollen lip. I didn't pay it any mind at the time, for I had realized just why he loved chewing on his bottom lip so much. _He was a good kisser._

It hadn't been expected. For someone whose life revolved around living rather than relationships, he would have been thought to be uninformed in that area. Hell, I was. But, he wasn't, and it sent shivers down my spine every time his breath had mingled with mine. The tingles were undeniable, bloody busted lip and all.

And now, he sat beside me on Aerith's bed, his eyes roaming anywhere but on me. They were trained on the makeshift cast on my arm that Aerith made for the time being. It was nothing more than two pieces of plastic rods on either side with gauze around it, but it would do for now. She had taken care of his injuries, too—his face was clear of any blood, and a bandage rested just below his hairline, the cut in that spot cleaned and covered.

He tugged his bottom lip in between his teeth. It was that unsure lip bite that made my face heat up. It hadn't even been a day since they were on mine.

"Does it hurt?" His hand reached up to run through his hair.

I nearly jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. "Huh? My arm?"

He nodded his head. Not once did his eyes dare to look into mine. Because of that, I couldn't remember a time where it was more awkward between us. We had always been a perfect fit. It had been that way since the moment we met. We had been on the same wavelength the second our eyes met on the beach shore. Nothing could fork a wedge into our closeness, not even people . . . all except for physical contact. We were now left stiff and scared as if one word could upset the other. It was as if one wrong word could ruin what we've had for years.

In that aspect, I was afraid. I was afraid that I would lose him over something that had made me happy. I was afraid that he would tell me the thing that I wanted to hear least. I was afraid that he didn't feel anything toward me. The sparks that I felt, the flutters in my stomach . . . had he felt them, too? It was a make-or-break situation for the future of us that I was regretting getting myself into.

"Oh. Uh, no—I'm all right now. It doesn't hurt too much," I answered quietly. "What did you want to talk about?"

A larger part of me was expecting for him to say that he didn't want anything more than childhood friendship. The other part of me knew that I was blowing this all out of proportion. It was hard to choose which side sounded the most believable. He had kissed me back as much as I did him. He clearly felt _something_. But, then again, he didn't say anything about it afterwards.

He hung his head low, his spiky, brown locks falling into his face, and let out an un-amused laugh. The sound of it forced my stomach into knots. It seemed like everything that he did made my stomach act one way or another, even if it was as simple as a laugh.

"I don't want it to be awkward anymore," he said.

This time, it was me who wouldn't look at him. "It's a little too late for that, don't you think?"

That must have broken the ice a little bit. He lifted his head, his bright eyes gazing into mine. They were so blue, almost glowing, and it took all of my strength not to squirm away from him. The look in them, the wonder on his face, the blush on his ears, the nervous aura that radiated around him . . . it was all adorable. He was adorable no matter what he did.

His fingers moved to rotated his necklace chain between them. His brows furrowed in the middle like he was deep in though, debating if he should do something or not. It filled me with a sense of impending doom—he could have been thinking on if he should shoot me down.

Perhaps we had went too far. Perhaps I should have kept my distance. Perhaps I shouldn't have liked him at all. Perhaps I should have—

"The only way for me to fix is for me to tell you now, I guess. I mean . . . I like you, Sasuke. Not like a regular _like_ , but . . . I've _liked_ you for the past three or four years now."

 _Huh?_

It took me a while to process what he had said. He had used the word 'like' too many times for it to have made sense, but when it did, my eyes went wide. It wasn't a mix up, was it? Had I heard that all right?

"Three or four years?"

"I didn't say anything about it because you were one of my best friends, and I didn't want it to be awkward . . . like it is now." He released his chain, letting it drop to his chest. "Whenever I _did_ want to tell you, it seemed like you liked Riku. But, then you kissed me, and I . . ."

The expression on my face was dumbfounded. _That_ was why he had accused me of liking Riku at the Emperor's palace. He thought that his feelings for me weren't returned—that another guy had already won me over. He didn't know that it was him. For years, he thought that he was second place to out best friend. _Years._ I couldn't have imagined going through that. I had only realized my liking for him this year, yet it still would've killed me to think he was involved with Kairi.

There were 365 days in a year. The fact that he's felt that way about me for the past 1,460 days was hard for me to even consider. _How didn't I notice?_

All those times were he protected me, where he complimented me and cheered me up, those were genuine displays of his heart. All of those hugs and laughs . . . they were real. They were the actions of a boy with a crush, not of a best friend. _He's liked me for years._

My gaze softened when I looked into his eyes. "I've never liked Riku. You're the one that I like. I just wished this all could've happened sooner."

He opened his mouth to say something—most likely a bunch of excuses—but was cut off by a familiar voice. "Sora! Whatever you two are going through up there, wrap it up! It's time for us to go!"

Sora glared at the locked door on the side of the room. It was Donald who had ruined the moment, his voice so loud that it echoed through the walls. Nonetheless, I smiled, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear and looking down at my fingers. I had been reduced to the embarrassed state of a confession.

Sora shouted something along the lines of needing another minute. Donald didn't reply. So, he let out a relieved sigh. The nervous tension had left his composure. His back was sitting up straighter and his brows no longer creased together. Just like me, he was feeling better about how things were playing out.

"During one of the six weeks that you have to stay here, I'll make Donald bring us back so that we can see you," he told me before scratching the back of his head. "Do you wanna . . . do something with me?"

I had to fight my smile away. "Are you asking me out?"

"Yeah." The corners of his lips tilted upward.

"Like on a date?"

He chuckled once. "Yeah."

It was all surreal, like some mistake that slipped out on accident. Out of all of the predictions that I had, this was not one of them. It was far from them. I had it fixated in my mind that I was going to be shut out, so him doing this, telling me this . . . it wasn't apart of my game plan. It threw me off guard so much to the point where my head was spinning. It was part of my story for him to not like me. Yet, here he was, grinning ear-to-ear once I accepted his offer.

In under twenty-four hours, I had managed to kiss and set a date with Sora. I was left reeling. Just yesterday, we were nothing more than buddies. But, that was the way that life worked, I supposed. Everything was constantly changing, even if that meant our relationship.

What could have potentially gone on much longer had to be cut short. The others were downstairs waiting for him so that they could leave. Unlike me, Sora was still in commission. He could still fight. He had a duty as the Keyblade Bearer that I would have to miss out on for a while. I didn't know which was worse: the fact that my arm was fractured, or the fact that I couldn't stay with the boys to fight.

He stood up, the mattress springs creaking a bit from the sudden change in weight. My eyes stayed glued to his feet. They made tapping sounds against the wood flooring as he walked over to the door, hand reaching out to unlock it. He had pushed the door open when he looked back at me, asking if I wanted to come see them off.

How could I not? This would be the last time that I would be able to see them for weeks. If I didn't seem them off at least, I'd regret it later.

I stood up, too, injured arm held at my side, and made my way out behind him. It sucked that I had to stay here. It wasn't like I didn't like Aerith, Yuffie, Leon, and the others, but I didn't want to be away from my friends for a whole month and a half. It had been the four of us for who knows how long. Not being able to hear Donald's snarky comments, Goofy's jokes, or Sora's laughs, it was hard to imagine. Though, it was the price that I was going to have to pay for what happened. I had done this all to myself.

The wood of the staircase still creaked. It was almost saddening. And I knew that I was making this more than what it had to be, but I couldn't help it. It wasn't every day that I was left behind. It also wasn't every day that I found myself knowing that I'd miss Donald. The creaky staircase was just a reminder of what was to come. It was the sound of two different journeys parting ways. They were going to be off with the stars; I was going to be resting. _Maybe I needed this._

Everyone was already waiting when we reached the bottom of the stairs. The last few steps that Sora took were dragged out, the bottoms of his shoes sliding slowly against the wood flooring. He didn't want to go, either. His shoulders slumped in defeat, and his eyes stayed glued to the front door. Despite the good news that we had received from each other, there was still the fact that we couldn't be together for now. He knew that this was a bad way to leave, but there was nothing that we could do about it. What was done had been done. Now, we just had to follow through with the plans.

Donald's arms were crossed over his chest. His foot impatiently tapped, creating echoing rhythms throughout the living room. I couldn't blame him for it. It took nearly four hours to get to Hollow Bastion due to loss of direction. His so-called "short cut" had prolonged an hour-long trip. That was all time that could have went into fighting Heartless.

Goofy stepped over to the door without a word. Sora and Donald followed suit, their motions seemingly robotic. They made no attempt to look back at us, and as I moved over to stand by Leon, I felt my stomach sink. This was it. This was the last time I'll see them until Sora convinces them to visit. Even then, that won't be for long.

Sora let out a sigh, turning around to send us a wave. Though it was meant for everyone, his eyes were focused on my arm the whole time. He payed no mind to Yuffie, who was belting out goodbyes.

Seeing the far away look on his face, Aerith chuckled. "Don't worry. We'll take good care of her. She'll be back to fighting in no time."

He sent her a knowing smile. "We'll see you guys later."

Beside me, Leon crossed his arms over his chest. He pushed himself off of the wall that he was leaning against. At his full height, I looked like a child next to him. But, it was the least of my worries, for when he looked over at the two boys, it was one of those rare times that he genuinely smiled. He was trying to reassure them—to reassure all of us. If he believed that things would work out, it would.

"Be careful out there," he said.

"Watch your arms!" Yuffie added.

I sent her a glare. It was a bit too soon for the fractured arm jokes, if you asked me. Not that it probably would have mattered to her.

"Bye, boys." I waved with my non-injured hand.

"You take care of that there fracture, ya hear," Goofy warned. "We'll try to close as many Keyholes as we can."

I nodded to show him that I understood. And, with that, they were out of the door, closing it behind them with a soft click.

Nothing but silence came afterwards. This must have been how it felt—to be left here while they adventured. It was something that I had dreaded the moment they told me I was going to have to. It was a reality now. They were really gone, and I was really here. _Man, this sucked._

All eyes in the room had fallen upon me, waiting for me to say something . . . waiting for me to _do_ something. I didn't. It wasn't like I could have. I couldn't have chased after them with one arm. I couldn't have said anything that would change this. So, I stayed glued in place, staring at the door as if it was its fault that I couldn't go along with them.

Aerith placed a hand on my shoulder. It was warm and gentle; not exactly a pitiful one, but one of guidance. I was left in her care for the next month and a half. She was in charge of looking after me. The way she looked at me, her smile cheering me on, was what I needed. If I wanted to get out there again, I was going to have to do my best here.

Leon shifted his body so that his shoulder was resting against the dark wall, his toned arms crossing over his chest. "Don't look so upset, Sasuke. It's only six weeks."

"He's right, ya know." Yuffie sent a wink my way. "You can hang out with me while you're here."

My skin must have paled; the heat was leaving my face as if it were being drained. Six whole weeks being teased and dragged around by Yuffie. Delightful.

As if she could read my thoughts, Aerith let out a giggle. She tilted her head a bit, causing her long, brown braid to swing around her waist. The sound of her laughter made the house seem brighter. It cleared out all of the bad thoughts because of a few jokes and giggles.

It was the reassurance that I needed, and perhaps this won't be so bad. They were right. This should be seen as me spending quality time with my friends for the next six weeks. Rather than focusing on the cons, I had to count my pros. The change in thinking brought a smile to my face.

Aerith's small hand lifted to tuck some of her bangs behind her ear. "Well, now that you'll be staying here for a while, I suppose we go shopping for you. What do you say?"

Yuffie nodded in agreement. In the corner of the room, Leon closed his eyes with a sigh.

"You guys go without me."

"Typical." Yuffie playful rolled her eyes at the older boy.

My smile didn't falter. In fact, it grew so deeply rooted that the indentations in my cheeks were showing. They hardly came, but when they did, it was because my smiles were genuine. Aerith must have picked up on that, too, for she nodded to show us that the plan was a go. She was going to take us shopping.

She opened the door with a newfound pep in her step. She announced that we'd be back in an hour or two to the boy leaning against the wall. Yuffie cheered that she was tagging along with us as she bounced out of the door behind Aerith. Leon sighed from his spot again. He clearly wasn't big on shopping, especially when it was for girls. But, I couldn't blame him. It had been over a year since I had been shopping with friends, and the thought of going with Yuffie was terrifying. The amount of fractured arm jokes to come was almost endless.

The world appeared exactly like it did through the bedroom window. Families in neighbouring houses were settling down after their busy days. Front doors were left ajar due to how comfortable everyone was with their town; no one had a worried care in the world. Children filled the streets with laughter, kicking a ball back and forth to each other like it was a collective sport. Birds chirps in the sky as they flew about with their loved ones. The sky was warm-coloured—coloured clouds tinting it like some sort of painting in a museum. It was beautiful, and it wasn't the first time that I had thought that it was.

There was just something different about this world that I couldn't place my finger on. It was as if every time I came here, there was a sense of appreciation. Of course, there was that feeling in every world, but the appreciation that I felt here . . . I hadn't felt that way since I was home on Destiny Islands. Though, perhaps it was because I had so many connected hearts here, or maybe because we were here so often, but it was comforting. To me, Hollow Bastion was my home . . . a second home away from my sandy shores.

Our shoes made clicking sounds against the cobblestone as we walked. I was halfway listening to Yuffie's chatter about their friend named Vincent. She explained how he was a tall man who—apparently—was hiding away somewhere deep inside of the city to stay out of sight. I wasn't paying too much attention to find out the reason why. Neither was Aerith, who smiled and nodded her head as she led us to the shopping district.

A few people were walking about. Citizens went from stall to stall in search of something that caught their eyes. A mother stood at one stall with a smile, buying bracelets for her two daughters. The girls laughed gleefully as they thanked their mother with absent-toothed smiles. A bit away, a man chuckled while his two sons fought each other with plastic weapons.

Despite the swarm of Heartless and Nobody goons around, people were able to carry on with their lives peacefully. It was what I was most admirable about; everyone was doing their best to restore the peace that was once lost to the darkness.

Yuffie and I followed Aerith into a store with flashing neon lights in the front. A general store, it detailed. When I stepped inside, the smell of perfumes and cleaning products hit my nose, making it tingle. I wiggled it around in hopes of suppressing my sneeze. Thankfully, it worked.

A man with balding, gray hair and a big grin greeted us at the entrance. Yuffie, having must have known the man already, greeted him back by his first name. She raised her arm to send him an exaggerated wave. The man waved right back at her.

"We have a bit of money, so don't be too cautious," Aerith told me, walking down one of the aisles. "If you want it, just let me know."

Yeah, right. I couldn't possibly spend all of their money. I was already putting them out of their way by moving in with them for a month and a half. How much more damage could I allow to happen? Nonetheless, I just nodded, knowing that voicing my opinion about it would have sent Aerith into a monologue about how she was happy to help.

The aisle wasn't too wide. White shelves sat on either side, holding countless amounts of products. She seemed to have led us into the more girly section. It no longer smelled of cleaning products, but of lavender and fruits.

Yuffie picked up a bottle of perfume off of one of the store shelves, her face contorting in a grimace when she seen the price tag. "So, Sasuke . . . You and Sora, huh?"

At the mention of his name, I felt my blood run cold. I glanced over at her from my position beside Aerith, my eyes wide with a sudden fear. Sora and I . . . What could she have known about that? Hell, no one besides the two of us knew what happened as far as I was concerned. Yet, here she was, bringing up something as nerve-wrecking as that.

"What?" I croaked out.

"You don't have to act so surprised." She shrugged her thin shoulders. "I kind of overheard you guys talking in the room."

 _Overheard us talking?_

She had overheard My face twisted up into an expression of horror. My parted lips were left gaping, my brows pulled low, and a furious stain of red had spread across my face. It wasn't just in the cheeks like it had been before. This time, my whole face was the color of cherries. It hadn't even been an hour since the boys left and word about it was already getting around.

Aerith simply smiled as she picked up a bottle of flower-scented lotion. "So that was what you were doing when you said that you had to go to the bathroom."

"How was I not going to eavesdrop? The two of them came into the house like something big happened, and I was curious. It wasn't like I got much out of it, though. Just that they like each other, but who _didn't_ know that?" she replied.

I frowned. "I didn't."

"I don't see how. I mean, it was obvious. _Everyone knew_. _Everyone_."

"Okay, Yuffie! I get it." I sighed.

She let out a laugh, choosing to drop the subject for my sake. She moved on to asking how I got my hair so long. She explained to us that she was thinking about growing hers out, but by that point, I was too embarrassed to say anything else.

There was no reason for me to speak further about it. Something had happened between the two of us—how was I expecting for them not to find out. They were our friends. They could feel the shift in our usual atmosphere. Yet, still, there was this thought of having people know just what effect he had on me. It was going to take some getting used to, I supposed, especially since he asked me out.

It wasn't like I wanted to hide him away, or to keep it a secret. The whole world could know the story about how Sora and I locked lips in the middle of the Beast's ballroom, and it wouldn't bother me. What _did_ bother me was the fact that I liked Sora, and the mere mention of the two of us reduced me into a fit of blushes. _This was definitely going to take some getting used to._

My hand reached for one of the shampoos. It wasn't anything extravagant nor was the price too high. It was good because I needed it along with some other things that I was sure to come across in the store. Aerith sent me a thumbs up to let me know that it was okay. It was what we came out here to do, after all. We came here to shop for me.

"No, but seriously. Are you guys, like, going out now?"

"Yuffie!"

* * *

 **I LIKED THE** way the ceiling looked in the mornings.

Rays of sunshine sparkled across it, dancing alone to the tempo of the swaying curtains. It was a sight that I had gotten familiar to. Each morning for the past week, it would be the first thing that I saw when I opened my eyes. Everything started with the warmness of the sun . . . even my shared bedroom.

On days like this, I found myself lounging around the bedroom. There wasn't much for me to do here besides that. The things that were entertaining, there were hard to do with one available arm. That included going on Heartless patrols with the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee.

Because of that, I was often left in the house to my own devices, left to figure out ways to make myself useful. Other than cleaning, I had yet to find one.

The sky was bright outside of the window. It was clear of clouds as it blew a flower-scented breeze throughout the room. It blew around the white curtains. It almost looked mystical the way they sparkled and danced around the room—it felt like a dream from my viewpoint. It was like one big fantasy . . . to think that I had been lying here for seven days. Seven days of staring at the ceiling with nothing more to my name than the title of the cleaning maid.

The gang made sure to tell me every day that I was doing just fine. They made sure to tell me that they appreciated my help around the house, and that I was healing okay, if not better than expected. Though it was good to know, it didn't help the feeling that I wasn't doing too much. Merlin was always off doing magic. Aerith was always busy monitoring the town. Cid had a wife and a store in the town center to run. Leon was always off on patrol and defense duty, and Yuffie was usually right alongside him. They had lives . . . unlike me currently.

My gaze drifted down to my arm. An off-white cast gripped from around my hand all the way up a bit passed my elbow. Aerith had put it on a few days ago after she figured that the splint she made wasn't going to fix much. Decorated with signatures from Aerith, Merlin, Cid, Shera, and a not-too-shabby drawing of a thumbs up from Leon, it was my reminder of just how real this was. It barely hurt anymore, but I still couldn't use it much. It just sat there in its sling, waiting for the moment where I could take it off.

I let out a sigh. On days like this, I tried to remind myself that it could have been a lot worse. In a house with nothing but people who cared about my well-being, I was truly cared for. If only I could do more to help them in return.

A sudden knock at the bedroom door tore me from my thoughts. It was most likely Aerith, asking if I wanted breakfast. Hopefully, it wasn't her. I could never have the heart to tell her that I wasn't hungry whenever she came in here offering. But, as I told the person that the door was open, I soon realized that it wasn't the brown-haired girl. Instead, the image of short, spiky, brown hair and serious blue eyes came into view. The scar crossing their face was a dead giveaway.

Leon.

He was wearing that leather jacket that I liked—the one with black fur trimming around the collar. His bangs were parted to the left like normal, no doubt being easy to manage since he cut his once long hair down to his jaw. His brows were pulled low as his eyes scanned the room in search of me. They let up once he seen me on the bed.

The days where he personally came to check on me on here were few and far between. It wasn't like he didn't care—I know he did—but, he preferred to give me my space. Other than the occasional check-ups as we passed each other in the hallway or in the kitchen, he made sure to watch over me from a distance. Though, here he was, leaning against the doorway, arms crossed and eyebrows raised, and I wondered if I had done something wrong.

 _I did clean the bathroom earlier, right?_

I sat up, being careful not to hit the my head against the top bunk. The action made him sigh. It was a content one followed by a small smile that I hadn't been expecting. If I hadn't messed up something in the house, what was the meaning of all of this?

He leaned his head against the doorway, too. "What are you doing today?"

What was I doing? Was that a trick question? Was he trying to make a joke? I shook my head to show him that I, indeed, didn't have any plans. Just like all of the other days.

"Get dressed, then," he said without a second thought. "You're always cooped up in the house. You're coming with me today—you need some fresh air."

The idea of going out on the town with Leon wasn't too bad. In fact, it seemed great compared to just sitting here like I had been doing. So, I stood up, making sure to not hit my head again. It was a good thing that I had already gotten dressed earlier. Aerith told me that she was going grocery shopping, and Yuffie was out on patrol already. If Leon had to be the one to help me fasten my bra in the back, it'd be awkward.

I moved across the room to put on my shoes. Well, more like sandals since I could no longer tie my shoes on my own. He watched me in silence. And when I walked over to him, nodding to show him that I was ready, he pushed himself off of the door frame. He motioned with his head for me to follow him down the hall.

It was dark since all of the doors were closed. The tired wood made creaking noises beneath our feet. Merlin had swore up and down all week that he was going to fix the floorboards. He never came around to it, though, busying himself with affairs fit of a renowned wizard. I didn't complain. It wasn't my house, and the noise didn't really bother me. Besides, it wasn't like I left the room much anyways.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

Leon moved out of the way so that I could walk down the stairs in front of him. "Out. You're going patrolling with me. It's probably not going to be a busy day today, so I figured you'd want to."

A smile spread across my face. Suddenly, I had a new appreciation for the guy. He was the only one who had offered to take me back out on the field despite my injury so far. He must have noticed, too, because he let out another sigh, warning me to not get carried away. It didn't matter. I was still getting the best gift anyone could've gave me.

It felt like a lot had changed since I last left the house. The sky was brighter, clearer even. The outside breeze was crisper; it blew around the smells of blooming flowers. My eyes glanced over the wood buildings and designs. Unlike last time, there weren't children on the streets playing. However, there were people out, some holding hands and some gossiping about the town's restoration.

I fell into step behind Leon. I had been here too many times to not know my way around the town. He was leading us toward the Town Square. I had overheard Yuffie saying that she was going patrolling in a few of the housing districts. Aerith was in the shopping districts. It would have made sense for him to not bring me somewhere as dangerous as the Bailey, but to somewhere more populated and controlled instead.

The Town Square was—without a doubt—my favourite part of Hollow Bastion. It consisted of fields of flowers surrounding a water fountain, and several mini-shops scattered along the outside perimeters of it. A few people walked around, visiting some of the stalls out of curiosity. It wasn't as crowded as I had expected it to be. But, it still was enough for us to blend in.

Leon looked down at me with a commanding nod. "Look for anything out of the ordinary—"

"Leon!"

He was cut off by someone's distressed yelling. The two of us scanned the area for where it could have came from. The voice was familiar, yet urgent as if it were on the verge of a breakdown. There was only one family capable of doing that. As if confirming my suspicions, we caught sight of Donald's uncle waving his arms to call us over.

He was standing next to his ice-cream vault. It was nothing more than a silver-coloured vault in the district's wall where he hid his money and valuable ice-creams. It almost made me want to laugh every time I seen it. Not because it was funny, but because it was something so undeniably Donald-like that it was hilarious. The traits must have ran deep into the family.

Scrooge was older-looking. He dressed wealthy, often wearing exquisite suits and carrying around a cane (which was only used for decoration seeing as how he didn't rely on it). He looked like Donald in other ways, too. From the white feathers to the big, black eyes, the resemblance was there. One would have thought Scrooge to be Donald's father by appearance alone.

We walked over to him with our brows raised in curiosity. When Leon said that he was taking me out with him, I hadn't expected to get into any action so soon. Hell, I was barely expecting anything to happen at all. But, judging by the way the old duck screeched to get our attention, something big must have happened.

Leon knew this as well. He looked down at the duck questioningly. "Are you all right?"

" _Am I all right_ ," he mocked, sourly. "How does one be all right when their business supply is being stolen?!"

A look of confusion spread across my face. "Stolen?"

"Yes, young lady! Stolen! Someone's been stealing ice-cream out of my vault!" he explained.

His voice cracked on every other word. The way he spoke made it seem like the world had crashed upon his shoulders. With his disturbed expression and tightly-wounded up muscles, anyone would have thought the guy was heading straight towards a heart attack. Though, in a way, it was understandable. The profits that he made from selling his ice-cream were supplying him and the triplets a steady source of income.

Well, that and the heaps of cash that he kept hidden away within the vault.

Leon glanced around the duck's body to look at the faintly visible piles of green inside. "Is all your munny in there?"

Scrooge nodded, not knowing what the boy was hinting at. "Why do you ask?"

"At least we know that the thief isn't smart, or a serious one for that matter," Leon explained as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why skip the munny and go straight for the ice-cream?"

"Because it's sea salt ice-cream!" Scrooge looked offended.

Leon rolled his eyes, but didn't put up an argument with the older man; he couldn't deny that the ice-cream was delicious. Huey, Dewy, and Louie had found out that I was staying here last week, so they often stopped by the house to bring leftover ice-cream for the day. I had seen Leon's first reaction to it: skeptical at first, then trying to sneak another one for himself. The odd ice-cream had that effect on people. Clearly, it was something more indulgent than munny.

I gave the duck a small smile. "We'll help figure it out."

"Thank you, Lassie."

 _Where did one go about starting a search like this one?_ The person that stole from him could have been anywhere. The person could've even skipped across districts if they wanted to. The only way that we were going to make some sort of breakthrough was by finding clues of that person themselves.

My lips parted in shock. _Bingo!_

I took the last few steps around Scrooge to get into the vault. The cold air that it emitted caused goosebumps to raise on my skin. My breath came out in visible fogs, swirling past my lips as if it were winter time. Yet, it was the least of my worries—there had to be some sort of clue left around.

The vault itself was separated into two different parts. One side held a large quantity of the blue-coloured sweets. The other side held nothing but munny, some of the coins no doubt frozen from the below-zero degrees. The metal walls had chucks of ice clinging to them. The matching metal flooring was slick from the same substance, and I suddenly wondered why Scrooge kept his munny in here. It must have been a hassle for him to get it when it was this freezing. Or maybe, that kept him _from_ wanting to get it.

Something was strange. It was as if one could tell that things had been tampered with inside. But, I couldn't quite put my finger on it . . . until I caught sight of something that obviously didn't belong to Scrooge. On the floor, beside where the ice-creams were set up, a little toy ball sat by itself. It was red with a yellow star painted in the center.

"Leon," I called out to get his attention.

He was next to me in the vault's doorway in seconds. Questions asking what was wrong filled the cold air, his deep voice sounding interested. I pointed a finger to the small object.

How Scrooge had managed to see the missing ice-cream and not the toy was beyond me. It was right in the middle of the floor. Its bright red colour was hard to miss, even for him. It went to show just how little attention he paid to the smaller details. _As long as it had something to do with his cash, he was worried about it then._

Leon's dark brows pulled low. His necklace rattled against his chest as he walked into the vault. He bent down to retrieve the ball from its spot on the floor, and I watched as his blue eyes scanned the object over. Though I wasn't close, I could still see the messy writing scribbled into the ball from where I was.

"It's a name," he told me, holding out the ball so that I could see better. "Looks like someone named Trevor left this here while he was stealing."

I shifted my weight to my other leg, my hair swinging around my hips from the movement. "That means that it was a kid, right?"

He nodded. "I doubt a grown man would be playing with a bouncy ball. I'm going to go around asking if anyone knows this kid. It's up to you whether you want to go with me or not."

He was offering to take me home. He thought that there was a chance that this could've been too much for me. The thought was sweet, but there wasn't a chance. I shook my head at him. There was no way that I was going back home just because of a little goose chase. And at that, he smirked a bit, motioning for me to follow him out of the vault.

He started our search in the Town Square. More people were gathering around the area now that it was getting later in the day. One man, in particular, held his daughter on his shoulders as they paraded around the plaza. Leon chose to start with him. He held the ball out to the two of them and asked if they knew the kid's name, or who it belonged to. Sadly, the man declined, but the daughter _did_ let us know that the ball was pretty.

Next was a woman. Her blonde hair gathered around her waist in waves while her green eyes squinted to block out the sun. She greeted Leon by name when he walked over to her. Though the conversation between the two started out good, it ended badly when she told him that she didn't know a Trevor. He sighed, and I followed him to yet another person.

Shops were beginning to shift into their busiest hours. It had probably been around four o'clock once we started our search, and after about thirty minutes, the amount of people now in the Town Square was hard to keep track of. I had suggested that we kept to the stores for questioning. It was going to be hard to keep track of everyone if we bounced from person to person outside.

One man wasn't too happy about two teenagers disrupting his business. We had walked into his restaurant in hopes of getting another lead. Of course, we were far from it. When Leon held the ball out to him, he went on a rant about how our search was bad for his restaurant. Leon had just stood there looking uninterested in whatever the man had to say. However, that accomplished nothing but making the man angrier.

"You teenagers think you're so entitled," the man snapped. "You think you can just come waltzing in here demanding whatever you want. That's the problem with your generation—you march around acting like you own everything, and then when you don't get your way, you get angry. Don't you roll your eyes at me, young man!"

Leon's lips pulled into a straight line. "I never said that I owned your restaurant, sir."

"It was a figure of speech, smart guy. You know what I meant. Back in my day, we actually took other people into consideration rather than parading around here with big weapons and fighting all the time. You guys are bad for business!"

"What did that have to do with a bouncy ball?" Leon asked, his expression proving that he was over this whole conversation.

"Don't get sassy with me, boy—"

Leon shook his head and put a hand on my shoulder, guiding me toward the store's exit. "Let's go, Sasuke."

I couldn't help but to laugh. It wasn't every day that Leon got lectured. He had gotten so fed up with the man's meaningless rambling that he even pulled _me_ out of the store. The man didn't have a problem with me; I could have still asked him questions.

Noticing that I was laughing, he sent me a look. _That wasn't funny_ , it seemed to say, but I couldn't help it. He continued to the next store with another shake of his head.

He led me to the general store that Aerith and Yuffie took me to last week. It was the same store where I had gotten my shampoo, conditioner, and other items. It was reliable at that, always being stocked with the latest things that I never would've thought I needed. Or . . . more like wanted.

The same store owner greeted us again. He waved a wrinkly hand at Leon as the tall boy approached him. I had stayed back a bit to look over a few of their new hairbrushes. They were miracle wands, I concluded, since they were the only things that easily got rid of my tangles.

"Afternoon, Leon," the man greeted. "What brings you here? You're usually off on defense duty."

Leon held up the red ball for the man to see. "I'm taking it easy today. Hey, do you have any idea who this could belong to? It's some kid named Trevor."

The man pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up his face to look the object over. I was expecting him to tell us that he didn't know just like all of the other people that we asked. So, my gaze trailed over to him when he didn't. He glanced at me before looking up at Leon with a sigh.

"Boy, do I ever," he said. "I'd recognize that ball anywhere. Whenever Mr. and Mrs. Sparks bring their son with them to go shopping here, that ball is always breaking something. It's caused about three hundred in damage alone."

He knew. Finally someone recognized the name and the ball. It belonged to some kid named Trevor Sparks who was a frequent troublemaker. I shouldn't have shocked me. With a name like that, how could you go around unnoticed?

Leon nodded. "Do you know where he could be?"

"I don't know. If you're looking for him, try his house. The Sparks' house is in Housing District Seven."

He then gave us the house address, something about having in memory due to how many damage bills he has to send the kid's parents. We left after thanking him a few times, the man making us promise to stop by again if we ever needed anything. He even offered me one of the hairbrushes, to which I declined saying I already had them in two different colours.

I had been in Hollow Bastion for quite a while now. It was crazy to think that I hadn't been to the Housing Districts before. Granted I didn't leave the house much.

Deep inside of them, countless amounts of houses aligned the cobblestone streets. It was quieter than the other districts that I had been to. There were more . . . families, walking about as if they didn't have a care in the world. Teenagers hung out on the street curbs with their friends, watching their younger siblings play around. Mothers were out hanging freshly washed laundry to dry. One would have gotten the sense that Hollow Bastion was more of a get-to-work kind of world, but this side of it showed the homeliness of it all. They were just as comfortable as I wanted them to be.

Housing District Four was the quietest due to its lack in tenants. When I asked Leon why, he explained to me that District Four was the first place the Nobodies spawned. He told of how they came out of the blue a little less than a year ago, attacking and causing destruction more so than they typical Heartless.

During the story, he led me past a few houses that were ran down because of the attacks. It brought a frown to my face. Seeing the change in my mood, he told me that everyone had been safely evacuated. No one had been hurt, but people were still too nervous to come back. For that reason, they had nicknamed it the District of Reckoning.

"That's a bit extreme, don't you think?" I mumbled, looking around the practically empty district.

He shrugged. "People do extreme things when they're scared."

Housing District Seven was three districts over from the District of Reckoning. Right off the bat, I noticed the silence in this one, too. Though, unlike the other one, this one actually had tenants. I chose not to ask him about the reason in fear of hearing another sad story. For every positive effect in Hollow Bastion, there was definitely a negative cause. I just didn't know how much more of them I could withstand hearing.

The house that the general store owner directed us to was toward the back of the district. It was in the more secluded areas opposed to the ones where people were laughing and talking. I didn't have to guess which house we were looking for, either. Sitting on the curb in front of one of the houses was a little boy . . . munching on sea salt ice-cream.

He didn't appear any older than ten-years-old. His hair was hidden underneath his beanie, but I could just about make out brown strands and brown eyes. He grinned happily as he ate his ice-cream by himself. He didn't seem to care that some of the blue substance was dripping down onto his green shorts.

I looked up at Leon, silently asking if this was the place that we were looking for. He nodded.

Cupping his gloved hands around his mouth, he called out the boy's name. "Trevor?"

The boy looked like a dear caught in headlights. His head slowly turned to the right, his brown eyes going wide at the sight of the two of us. He had been caught with evidence.

Leon began his stride over to the boy. I was right behind him for the sake of wanting to stay caught up with the action. Now that we caught the boy, there was no telling what was going to happen next. He could run away. We could even—by some slim chance—have the wrong person.

I almost crashed into Leon's back when he suddenly stopped. A shriek loud enough to reach other worlds ripped through the quiet air. My body leaned over to see around Leon. As if they knew it was the worst time they could have done it, a group of Nobodies spawned in the area in front of the boy's house.

It had been the boy who let out the shriek. He stood up from his spot on the curb to look at the creatures in fear. He didn't care that the ice-cream slipped out of his hand, falling at his feet in a heap of melting blue. And as Leon sighed, the boy sprinted into the other direction, taking off down the street.

"Damn it," Leon cursed. "He's going to get away."

His hand reached behind me to pull his weapon out of its holster. He gripped the Gunblade's handle, pulling it over his head to rest the sword on his shoulder. It was longer than my Keyblade by a good few inches, no doubt heavier too. It was beyond me how he was able to wield it with the slightest of ease. _Then again, it was Leon: the guy who kicked Sora's ass twice._

Before he could jump into battle, the Hollow Bastion's defense system appeared on the ground in white, dangerous circles. It attacked the Nobodies that it could. He left my side, then, and I was left wondering how I could help.

It wasn't like there were many of them, and it wasn't like Leon was weak. He was one of the strongest people that I knew. Yet, I couldn't help feeling the call to battle. After being out defeating Heartless for so long, it was almost second nature to help fight. I knew that I couldn't, though. I couldn't do anything that could potentially prolong my healing. _Anything that could potentially keep me from fighting longer._

A round of gunshots shot through the air. A few of the Nobodies disappeared once the bullets came in contact with their bodies. Leon was doing his best to keep them away from the crowded areas of Housing District Seven. However, that didn't stop two of them from getting through his line of defense. Their menacing bodies twitched and glided down the cobblestone streets. With their necks beginning to twist at odd angles, their silvery limbs made their way over to where I was, and I took a step back.

 _Think fast, Sasuke!_

I didn't need to. Two gunshots rang through my ears. My eyes squeezed shut to block out the white light that followed the gunshots. I opened them again once the light died down. The two Nobodies were gone. Leon stood in front of me, the Gunblade swung over his shoulder. He had took them out along with the other ones that were in the area. I let out a sigh of relief. So much for wanting to help.

"Thank you," I said.

He put the Gunblade back into its holster with an audible _click_. "Don't mention it. You all right?"

"Not a scratch." I smiled.

"Mister, Mister! That was so cool!"

The little boy ran out of his hiding spot. He had hid behind a gray brick wall sectioning off the next block of houses. A giant grin was plastered on his face while he made his way over to us. His hands reached up to adjust his beanie. It confused me. Despite the fact that he was in trouble, he was still pumped up from the fight.

We watched as the boy jumped up and down, going on about Leon's cool sword. The boy proceeded t make gunshot noises and slash at the air with an invisible weapon. Leon gripped the bridge of his nose.

"You're Trevor, right?" he asked the boy.

The boy nodded excitedly. "Yes, sir!"

"Care to explain this?" Leon took the ball out of his pocket, and the boy's smile instantly turned upside down. "We found this in Scrooge's ice-cream vault. You know, the one that keeps the ice-creams that you were just eating a minute ago."

The boy shuffled around. "Uhh . . ."

"That's what I figured. C'mon."

The boy made a groan of displeasure as Leon placed a hand on his shoulder, guiding him back toward the way we came from. I nearly laughed. The boy was tripping all over the place just to find a way out of Leon's hold. But, the older boy didn't let him go. Instead, he reprimanded him for stealing things that didn't belong to him. All it managed to do was make Trevor rowdier. That is, until Leon threatened to tell his parents if he didn't apologize.

"Hey, wait!" the boy argued. "That's blackmail! You can't do that even _if_ you're one of the big kids!"

Leon glanced down at him. "Watch me."

* * *

 **TREVOR LOOKED SCARED** right out of his mind as he stood in front of Scrooge.

His legs were shaking in that trembling sort of way. His hands were tugging at the sleeves of his shirt. His red-rimmed, brown eyes were fixated on the ground beneath him. On the way back to the Town Square, he had been on the verge of tears. He probably would have cried if it weren't for the fact that he had did this to himself.

I was leaning against the vault wall, watching Leon nudge the boy with his elbow. Scrooge's arms were crossed over his chest as he tapped his foot impatiently. He wasn't too happy to hear that his ice-cream was being stolen by a little kid. He had made such a big scene about how he was disappointed in not only Trevor, but in himself for letting such a thing happen. And apparently, while we were looking for the boy, he had spent his time counting each one of his coins to make sure that they were all there.

The duck's dark eyes were pulled into an authoritative stare. It made the boy shift around a few times. He was possibly thinking about making a break for it, but he couldn't. He had tried that after we reached Housing District Three. It proved fruitless—Leon had grabbed him by his shirt collar before he could get too far. There weren't many other options for the boy. It was either this or get his parents involved, which he seemed dead set on not happening.

He should feel lucky that Scrooge was accepting an apology. Anyone else would have informed Mr. and Mrs. Sparks. All three of us were shocked to find out that the old duck was willing to let it all go for a simple "sorry." It was completely out of character, especially since Donald would have told the kid's parents, and the whole Town Square at that.

Leon nudged him again to encourage him to apologize. From where I stood, I could tell that Leon wanted to help the kid even though he _was_ at fault. He was a good person, and with his encouragement, Trevor swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

"I'm sorry, Mr. McDuck," he said nervously. "I shouldn't have stolen from you. I hope you accept my apology."

After a moment of inner debate, Scrooge let out a breath. "It's all right. I was like you once, after all. No munny and wanting the finer things in life . . ."

Trevor deadpanned. "I'm not poor, Mr. McDuck—"

"Oh, how I loved munny!" he continued, ignoring the boy's protests. "I did everything I could for a buck. You know, I see a lot of myself in you. Spread your wings, Laddie! You will find munny there!"

Trevor looked at us in confusion. Leon and I shrugged our shoulders. None of us knew how this conversation had suddenly turned into a motivational speech. We weren't going to stop Scrooge, though. Trevor should have just been glad that he wasn't getting yelled at. So, Leon motioned for me to follow, and I pushed myself off of the wall before falling into step behind him.

We were going to leave the two of them to their own devices. Scrooge could handle it from there. Plus, listening to the duck's life story was enough punishment for the boy. It would have pained me to have to sit through the story of how he earned his first buck. I knew it must have been killing Trevor inside.

The sun was beginning to retreat behind a fleet of clouds. With each passing minute that we were outside, it was growing colder and colder. I felt goosebumps pricking at my arms; the tank top I was wearing wasn't doing much to protect me from the change in weather.

It wouldn't be long until Leon took me back home. He had heard my teeth chattering, turning to look down at me with one eyebrow raised. Unlike him, I didn't have a jacket to keep me warm. It was obvious that I was cold. Aerith would have a word or two with him if she knew that he kept me out in the cold. A fractured arm coupled with a cold didn't sound all too pleasant.

Once more, the people in the Town Square were starting to disperse. The excitement for the day had died down. Parents were starting to walk their children home after their long days. One little girl had even fell asleep in her father's arms. Shops were starting to get less traffic through their doors. Well, all except for one.

On the opposite side of the water fountain was a small stall that sold fruits and vegetables. It held a sign with pictures of dancing carrots and apples. An elderly woman sat behind the counter, smiling at people who looked over her variety of food. That wasn't what caught my attention. What did was the boy beside the stall.

He was around Leon's age, I assumed, crouching close to the floor as if to go unnoticed by the elderly woman. His kneecaps poked out from the rips in his black pants, and his white shirt did little to hide the faint scares on his toned arms. The breeze had picked up, blowing around his short, dark brown hair. Or was it black? I couldn't tell. I could, however, see his practically glowing green-blue eyes through his side-parted bangs, trained on the fruit the stall had on display. His lips fitted into a smirk as his gauze-wrapped arm reached out to it.

I glanced over up at Leon to see if he had seen the boy, too. He hadn't. He was paying attention to an old man walking around the fountain.

My eyes slid back over to the boy, only to find that he was looking at me, those strange-coloured eyes peering into mine. His pupils were so dilated that his irises seemed larger than the average person's. Smirking lightly, he lifted his index finger to press it again his lips. _Don't tell him_ , he mouthed to me as he looked in Leon's direction. I just raised an eyebrow.

It was the arm not wrapped in gauze reached out to the fruits this time. He had plucked one of the oranges from the display without so much as a second thought. He made sure that no one was paying attention to the fact that he was stealing from an old woman. Though, he wasn't completely in the clear.

He let out a yelp of pain, dropping the orange. The boy was yanked up onto his feet by his hair as he let out a string of curses. Behind him, Leon stood with an annoyed scowl. He was the one holding the boy up by his dark strands, waving his head around in different directions, much to the boy's displeasure.

I looked at where Leon was standing seconds ago, then back over to where they were at the stall. _How'd he get over there so fast?_

The boy's hands clawed at the one that was pulling his hair. "Ow, that shit hurts! Let go of me!"

Leon released him after that. The boy huffed, standing to his full height. He was a good three or four inches taller than Leon. Maybe somewhere within the six foot range. It surprised me because he had looked so small compared to Leon a moment ago. And as he crossed his arms over his chest, I watched while he gave my friend the deadliest glare I'd seen in days.

"Damn it," the boy groaned. "I can't do anything fun with you lurking around here, Squall."

Squall. I had heard that name before. Yuffie called him that a long time ago, informing us that it was Leon's real name. It fit him better than the one he preferred, but whenever someone said the name around him, it irked him to no end.

The only people who knew of that name were the ones who knew him way back when. Whoever that guy was, he must have known Leon before Hollow Bastion was swallowed by the darkness. That was the only explanation I could come up with.

" _Fun_ ," Leon repeated. "Since when is stealing fun?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders as if admitting that Leon was right. "Tell Aerith I say hello."

He didn't give Leon a chance to say anything else. The dark-haired boy left, going toward the Housing Districts. I walked over to Leon as he gripped the bridge of his nose.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Niyah," he answered reluctantly. "That guy starts a lot of trouble for someone who's half blind."

 _Half blind?_

I glanced back over to where the boy left off to. Was that why his eyes looked so different? Nonetheless, he was gone, and wondering about him held little to no point.

Leon looked down at me, changing the subject. "Are you cold?"

I nodded.

"Come on. I'll take you home, then."

Whenever the word "home" was mentioned by anyone nowadays, my mind instantly wandered to the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee house. I thought about my bottom bunk under Yuffie's top one. I thought about creaking wood flooring and cramped bathrooms. Because whether I wanted to acknowledge it or not, this _was_ my home. A temporary one and a permanent one.

They say the home is where the heart is. Though I had connected hearts elsewhere in many worlds, there were a lot of people here that I held dear. Perhaps that was the reason why Hollow Bastion brought me so much solitude.

I tugged on the leather sleeve of Leon's jacket to get his attention. He looked down at me with a raided brow, his blue eyes questioning. I sent him a small smile.

"Thanks for taking me with you today."

He placed a hand on top of my head. "Don't mention it."

* * *

 **Hey, guys! I'm back! Sorry about the late upload. This chapter was supposed to be posted yesterday morning, but my internet decided to shut down. I'm working on the next chapter now, so expect it by the end of the week :)**

 **Fun Fact of the Chapter: The "Squall" in this story was written to resemble more of his appearance in Final Fantasy: Dissidia due to personal preference and the higher image quality in that one.**

 **~ Insane**


	22. Promises

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: PROMISES**

 **SASUKE**

 **"** **Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky."  
** **\- Rabindranath Tagore**

* * *

" **CRUST OR NO** crust?"

Today wasn't like any regular day. Normally, I would have woken up around nine o'clock just to stare at the ceiling for a few hours until I got up to shower. Today I woke up at eleven. It wasn't a big deal really, but to me, it was a gigantic one. I had rolled out of my bottom bunk and nearly collapsed from the whiplash. If that wasn't a sign that today was going to be different, I didn't know what was.

The strange occurrences didn't stop there. I had slipped in the shower moments later. I had been in a state of panic, my hand darting out for something to grab onto. One could only imagine the look of horror on my face when I tried to grab onto the running water. I hit the bottom of the shower with a loud _thud_ , and Aerith came rushing in, thinking that I had hurt my arm. Being caught in the shower was embarrassing, but at least she washed my hair for me afterwards.

I slammed my forehead onto the dining room table with an exaggerated groan. "Crust is fine."

In these past few days, I was starting to look worse as well. Appearance-wise, to be exact. It had been days since I last went outside; my skin was so pale that the blue veins underneath it were visible. It made me look sickly when, in reality, all I needed was a few hours in the sun again. My eyes, once a bright silver, were now a dark gray to go along with my lifeless hair. Aerith had washed it, combed it, and put it up into a braid similar to hers, but it still didn't help. I still looked dead.

The only thing that kept me from cringing at myself in the mirror every day was the lack of bags under my eyes. Here, I had caught up on sleep that I had missed out on during my time on the road. If it weren't for the fact that I looked like a ghost, I would have thought that this was the best condition that I had been in all year. And it was . . . on the inside.

Aerith nodded in the kitchen just as the sound of knocking echoed throughout the house. Rushed footsteps instantly scrambled down the stairs. Besides Merlin, the only one upstairs was Yuffie, an I highly doubted the old man would move that fast just because someone knocked at the door.

"I've got it!" Yuffie shouted.

I didn't give it a second thought. Whenever someone was at the door, Yuffie was always the first to answer it. That much I had gathered in my three weeks here.

Aerith placed a plate with the sandwich she made on the table. I sat up straight, thanking her for making it for me. If there was anything that I loved most about staying here, it was Aerith's sandwiches. Or perhaps, it was Aerith in general.

Ever since I had fractured my arm, she was the main one taking care of me. Cid and Leon helped me out with boredom from time to time. Yuffie kept me . . . busy all around. Merlin had been making sure to keep me brushed up with my magic since Keyblade combat was no longer an option. At least, that's what Aerith kept insisting even though it wasn't my fighting arm that I had fractured that day.

Using the hand that wasn't wrapped up in a cast, I slowly began eating. It was harder to do everyday things with only one functioning arm. It made me realize just how much I had taken for granted. Especially when it came to having people help me do things that I used to do for myself. My handicap only made me angry and frustrated—something else that Leon had became in charge of handling.

"Well, well, well. Look who's back."

 _Look who's back?_

I put my sandwich does as my brows pulled low. Aerith had the same confused expression on her delicate face. Leon said that he wasn't going to be back until sundown. Cid went home for the day because he had promised to spend time with Shera. If anything, it could have been Leon. But, if he was back early, that meant that he must have had some bad news.

I stood up from my spot at the dining table. With a shared glance at Aerith, the two of us made our way to the living room to see who it could have been. Hopefully it was Donald's nephews—Huey, Dewy, and Louie—coming with more leftover ice-cream.

No. Instead, it was the stubborn duck himself.

He walked past Yuffie into the house with his arms folded over his chest. My eyes went wide. He was back. Goofy came in soon after him. He was clutching his knight's shield in his hands as if he had just got through fighting on the way here. Yuffie commented something about Donald looking tired. In return, the duck shot her a glare.

What were they here for? Before they left three weeks ago, they told me that they were going to try to lock as many Keyholes as they could before my arm healed. Aerith said that I still had another three weeks of healing to go. What made them want to come back so soon?

I didn't get a chance to ask. A third person stepped into the house; Yuffie quickly closed the door once they were inside. Blue eyes scanned over the living room as if searching for something that wasn't there. It didn't take too much to realize who it was. The brown hair was a dead giveaway. It forced a smile to spread across my face.

"Sora!" I called out.

His eyebrows pulled low, his eyes looking around the room in confusion. I jogged over to him with Aerith behind me. His eyes went wide when he seen me, a goofy grin tugging at his lips as he held his arms open. I threw my arm around his neck, and, in the moment I had been waiting twenty-one days for, he wrapped his arms around me.

It felt so surreal to be in his arms. He had been gone for son long that I had gotten used to him not being around. The way his eyelashes cast shadows upon his cheeks, or the way his hair reflected blond strands, it all felt like a dream. It wasn't real. It all felt like some sort of illusion . . . like he wasn't really here with me. But, he smiled into my hair, and I knew that it wasn't. He was here.

It never occurred to me just how much I had missed him up until now. These past three weeks had been irritating and busy enough for me to stay focused on that and that alone. How had I completely dismissed the fact that this was the longest that he and I had been (consciously) separated since the day we met?

The painful jab in my arm was a reminder.

I pulled away from him with a grimace. "Ow, ow, ow."

"Sorry." He sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

It wasn't his fault. Unless you counted that his hugs were too tight. In which case, he and his grip _were_ to blame.

His expression suddenly changed as he looked down at me. He no longer looked content. Rather, his eyes roamed over my features, his brows furrowed in concern. His gaze started at my flat, black hair before making its way down to my dark eyes and pale face.

I felt my breath hitch. I had forgotten that I looked like something that belonged in Halloween Town, and Sora sure as hell noticed it.

"Sasuke," he started slowly. "Are you okay?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, shying away from his gaze. The last thing I wanted was for the guy I liked to see me looking a mess. Granted it wasn't the first time, I didn't want it to be another one. It was embarrassing—almost as much as being caught in the shower by Aerith.

"That's what happens when you sit in a dark room for three weeks straight," Yuffie explained, and Sora shot me a look. "So, what brings you three back? As you can see, Sasuke's still not better."

As a way to escape Sora's gaze, I moved to give Goofy a hug. I had missed him, too. His sweet nature and big heart were things that I had been missing most around here. Though, I doubted he would have wanted to be here on one of my bad days. Not even his gentle heart could save him from that attitude.

Donald jutted a thumb in Sora's direction. "He wanted to come back."

"Don't put this all on me," Sora snapped halfheartedly. "You wouldn't shut up about her, either."

It was a sort of lie. I knew the real reason why they were back so early. Before they left, Sora had told me that he was going to make them come back so that he could see me. I felt my cheeks grow hot, and I had to bite down on my bottom lip just to keep from smiling.

"Can you blame me? I mean, we literally _heard_ her arm fracture in the middle of battle," the duck defended.

I glared at him. "Gee, thanks for reminding me, Donald."

"You're welcome."

He raised his eyebrows at my as if to challenge me. I sighed to let him know that I wasn't in the mood for one of our usual disagreements. It was the first time that I had seen the boys in weeks. Right now wasn't the best time to fall into our old routine for I knew that their presence wouldn't last long. I wanted to savour it, if only for a while longer.

Aerith clasped her hands together behind her back. "Are you guys hungry? I was just making sandwiches. I can make you guys one, if you'd like."

The three of them nodded, Sora asking, "Can I have two, please?"

I made my way back into the dining room while Aerith went into the kitchen. I had almost forgotten about my own sandwich that I had left sitting on the table. Only two bites had been taken out of it—two small ones at that. It was pathetic how little I had eaten, but the interruption was well worth it.

Aerith placed a sandwich in front of each of the boys a few moments later. Two for Sora, just like he asked. They wasted no time in digging into them. Compared to them, my speed was equivalent to that of a turtle. _Man, they sure were hungry._

Yuffie sat next to me with a curious look on her face. "So, what have you guys been doing for the past three weeks?"

"Swimming with fish and fighting with pirates," Sora answered between bites, taking a second to look at me. "Ariel says hello, by the way."

I swallowed my food forcibly. "You guys saw Ariel? How is she? What happened in Atlantica?"

"It was kind of hectic down there. She fell in love with a human—a prince from the surface."

This time, I proceeded to choke on my food. "What?"

Ariel was beautiful, of course. Her fiery red hair was always voluminous and bouncy, whether it be in water or on land. Her figure was that of envy. Any girl would have wished upon stars to look like Ariel; with her gentle voice and kind eyes, she was a princess to behold. However, there was one thing that would have held her back.

Ariel was a mermaid. She lived her days under the sea, harbouring a full tail and the swimming ability to boot. She wasn't the same species humans were. It was beyond me that she had even _seen_ one before. How could she—someone who lived in the ocean—have fallen for someone who lived on the land? _The common story of star-crossed lovers._

Goofy nodded his head to show that Sora was telling the truth. "She was sad that she couldn't live on the surface, so we went through a whole musical tryin' to cheer her up. Did ya know Sora can sing?"

My eyebrows raised as I looked at said boy with a newfound interest. _He was in Atlantica singing?_ It was hard to imagine; the boy participated in a lot of activities, but that was never one of them. Not that I was one to complain. The image of dolphin-tailed Sora singing with Sebastian and Flounder made me giggle. I could imagine him being so in rhythm, twirling around with the clams.

Sora glared at me before taking a huge bite of his sandwich. My laughter had made the tips of his ears turn pink behind his brown locks.

"I thought we agreed that you guys wouldn't tell her that." He groaned.

Goofy innocently shrugged. He thought that it was embarrassing enough to have to hide it from me. Though, I didn't see it as something to be embarrassed about. I thought it was . . . cute.

"Did King Triton find out?" I asked, changing the subject for Sora's sake. "What happened after the musical?"

Donald plucked a huge chunk of lettuce out of his sandwich. "Of course he did. Ariel was keeping a statue of the prince in her cavern. The king was so mad that he destroyed it."

I stopped eating again. Ariel's cavern was where she kept all of her findings from the human world. There were so many trinkets and knickknacks there. They were her most prized possessions; they gave her glimpses into a life she knew nothing about. If she had placed a statue of the man she loved in that cavern, she must have cared about it. One could only imagine the pain in her heart once her father destroyed it.

I knew Ariel well enough. She must have been crushed. I _knew_ that she was. I could imagine her crying out for her father to stop. It made a frown tug at the corners of my lips.

"She thought that she had ran out of options, so she made a deal with Ursula," Sora continued. "Her voice in exchange for a pair of legs."

Donald seemed amused by my disturbed expression. "If she didn't get the prince to kiss her after ten days as a human, she'd lose herself to Ursula permanently. It was all going good, though. Ariel and the prince were happy together . . . until around the tenth day."

"We found her crying. Ursula had took her voice, transformed into a human, and hypnotized the prince into liking her instead of Ariel," Sora explained, moving on to his second sandwich.

"Yup, but then Sora got fed up and broke the necklace that Ursula was keeping Ariel's voice in." Donald glanced over at Sora to which the brunet just shrugged. "We got into a big fight with her because of it."

Yuffie leaned over the table. "You guys won, right? Right, right, right?"

"I don't think they'd be sitting here unharmed if they didn't." I smirked a bit. "Did the prince and Ariel live happily ever after in the end?"

Sora nodded. "You know it. We locked the Keyhole, too, and ended up in a place called Port Royal."

"We were there for a week and a half. Pete was there starting trouble. Here's a tip when it comes to pirates: don't trust them," Donald mumbled.

"I'm just glad that you guys are okay." I sighed.

And I was. I knew first hand how dangerous it was out there in different worlds. Anything could have happened out there to them, but it didn't. They were here safe and sound. There weren't any scars from what I could see. Sora's bruises and cuts had disappeared from view as well. For that, I was thankful. I was thankful that I was able to see the boys safely return back home. Even if this wasn't necessarily _home_.

Perhaps I sounded a bit to frantic. It wasn't every day that I was worried about there well-being. They could take care of themselves out there. It didn't stop my hair from graying, though, and it definitely didn't stop the pit in my stomach. They had came back because they were worried about me when I had been worried about them.

Yuffie leaned back into her chair with a smirk. "Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun out there. How's about some more fun? You three want to go with me to the Bailey? I got put on defense duty."

Defense duty and patrolling were two different things to the Restoration Committee. It was patrolling that I was sometimes allowed to tag-along on. Patrolling was like maintaining the peace in a way; the one on the job went around to see if there was anything out of the ordinary, and helped citizens along the way. Sometimes they fought battles. Most of the time they didn't.

I had asked to go with Leon on defense duty once. All that it earned me were looks of disapproval. They weren't going to let me do anything besides patrolling, which made sense considering what defense duty was.

Sora placed his elbow on the table, resting his chin on the palm of his gloved-hand. "I already have plans for the day. Why don't you take Donald and Goofy?"

Donald shot the boy a narrow-eyed look. _Don't volunteer us_ , it almost screamed.

I stood up with my plate to bring it to the kitchen. There was no point in keeping it around if my sandwich was no longer there. I took the boys', too, since they were already done with theirs.

My bare feet patted into the kitchen. The flooring was cold underneath my toes. It sent shivers up my spine because of the temperature drop. Placing the plates into the sink, I assured Yuffie that I would do the dishes for everyone. However, the teenage ninja stared weirdly at me. We all knew that I couldn't—there was no way for me to do the dishes. Letting out a sigh, I dragged my feet all the way back into the dining room.

"So, it's settled. You two are coming with me." Yuffie winked at Donald and Goofy. "We'll leave soon, so be prepared."

Donald raised a hand to interrupt. "Do we get a say in this?"

"No, not really."

I tried my best not to laugh at them. Poor Donald—he looked so frustrated with the sudden turn of events. Not that anyone could blame him. Sora had offered them up in his place because he "had plans." I doubted it. The brunet had a habit of being lazy, and he probably just didn't want to go himself. It wouldn't be a surprise if his "plans" included him crashing on the couch.

"What does defense duty do, anyways?" Goofy asked.

Aerith tapped her chin with her index finger. "We started doing defense about a month ago; usually Leon, Cid, and Yuffie are the ones to go. The number of Heartless have been increasing, and some of them have been trying to come closer to the districts. The three of them go to the most dangerous parts to fend them back until they retreat away. It's tiring, but necessary, I suppose."

Donald raised a brow. "What about the Nobodies?"

"Oh, they're still around," Yuffie answered. "Not as much as the Heartless, but they're still there. The only difference is that they like appearing in the districts lately, especially the Housing Districts. Good thing is: the Hollow Bastion defense system mainly attacks them opposed to Heartless."

The day where I had went patrolling with Leon, we were ambushed by a group of the twitching Nobodies. They weren't the higher level ones that I had seen before, but they were still the silver creatures nonetheless. The District of Reckoning, too. It had been taken down by a swarm of Nobodies. Though, unlike Heartless, they were harder to take down. It scared me. The thought of them spawning in places where families resided unsettled my stomach.

"Do you have anything new on the Nobodies?" Aerith asked the boys.

Sora shook his head. "Nope. We've only been fighting Heartless for the past three weeks. The last time that we ran into any of the Nobodies was in the Beast's Castle. It was one of the Organization Members."

Xaldin. The reason as to why my arm was in a cast. It was the first time that we ever engaged in combat with one of them, and I ended up getting my arm fractured in the crossfire. That went to show how powerful the beings truly were.

I didn't want to stay on the topic of them. Mentioning the Organization around me was like a taboo. It always struck a sour chord within me. It was because of fear; they were the only things across these worlds that made me hesitate. The mere thought of them churned my stomach in ways that could have made me vomit. Before, I didn't have a reason to fear them, but now that everything happened, I did.

Aerith grimaced. "You ran into one of the members?"

Sora didn't fix his mouth to say another thing about them. He had seen the change in my mood, choosing to drop it as to not upset me more than I was. I appreciated him for it, but I felt bad that a serious topic had to be dropped because of my stupid emotions.

Yuffie stood up. The chair made a scratching sound against the wood from the force of it. We all watched her with curious eyes as she dug into the pocket of her shorts, pulling out a black cloth. It was the iconic headband that she kept tied around her forehead. She fastened it at the back of her head with such determination that one would have thought it was too tight. Surely she'd be getting a headache later.

"All right." She looked at Donald and Goofy. "Let's go before the Heartless start causing trouble."

Goofy and Donald sighed, standing up, too. A round of goodbyes and good lucks rang throughout the room. It wasn't like Yuffie accepted the wishes of luck, anyways. She had declared that this was all fun to her, that luck wouldn't be needed. Her words were like a burst of adrenaline. It made me wonder why she wasn't always placed on defense duty as they walked out of the front door.

Leon and Cid did it more than anyone else in the Restoration Committee. Of course, they were the strongest ones, but they didn't find it to be as much fun as Yuffie made it out to be. She enjoyed being out there for hours, yet she was usually put on patrol duty with Aerith. One would think that she would have been assigned to being out there fighting everyday, just like Leon was.

Aerith moved to walk into the kitchen. "Well, I'll wash the dishes—"

"No way." I turned to face the older woman. "You made food for us. It's not fair that you should have to do the dishes, too. I'll do them."

Sora was on his feet in seconds, stretching his arms high above his head. He couldn't reach his limbs all the way up for they would have gotten caught in the lazily spinning ceiling fan. His lips parted to release an exaggerated yawn. He rolled his shoulders while his arms were still raised, and the loud cracking sounds of his joints made me jump.

"I'll do them."

Aerith didn't put up a fight this time. She must have knew that I was adamant about her not laying a hand on the plates. She nodded her head to Sora to show that she was fine with it.

"I'm going out, then," she announced. "Since you three are back, I'll need to go get something to cook tonight. How's about coconut rice?"

I furiously nodded my head and she laughed. Her hand reached out for an article of clothing that had been through over one of the dining room chairs. It was something that I recognized her wearing a few times. It was the fuchsia, short-sleeved jean jacket that she wore with her dress. She slid her thin arms into it, giving herself a once over in the mirror hanging on the wall. She pulled her ponytail out from underneath it before nodding.

Aerith was so gorgeous. It wasn't the first time that the thought had came to my mind, and it definitely wouldn't be the last, but it was the truth. Her delicate features were a rarity in this day and age. Everything she was seemed to elegant to me. It was like she was one of the Seven Princesses of heart. I would have guessed that she was, had I not heard her stories about owning a flower shop years ago. _Did she know she was that good-looking?_

She sent the two of us a wave as she walked over to the door. We smiled at her as if letting her know that we were going to be okay. Then, she left, softly closing the front door behind herself. The click of it closing was almost inaudible.

The house fell silent. It felt like whenever Sora and I were left alone lately, quietness was sure to follow. There were no other sounds than our own breathing, the running faucet water, and the dishes clanking together as he began to wash them. Perhaps I should have said something to ease the tension. However, no matter how hard I tried, nothing would come out. I raked my thoughts for things to say. There was nothing. I didn't know what to say to him.

His hair hung around his eyes, almost blocking out the radiant blue that they conveyed. His brows were knitting together with concentration while his hands worked on scrubbing. His jawline had started to tense up the slightest bit. It was prominent, carved by the genetics he had received from his father.

I felt like an idiot standing there staring at him. Surely he noticed that I was. But, how could I not stare at something so . . .

My attention focused on the fridge instead. Colourful magnets spelling out random words were scattered across the front doors. One of the words had obviously been done by Merlin. "Cure," it read. It was a spell that the wizard had claimed he was going to teach me during my time here, but, just like fixing the noisy floorboards, he had forgotten all about it.

Sora interrupted my thoughts when he cleared his throat. "How's your arm?"

I fidgeted from the sudden attention. "It's doing better. It doesn't hurt anymore. Aerith says that it's healing faster than we thought."

"Do you ever have a hard time with it?"

What he meant to say was: _I know it's pissing you off._

I shrugged. "Not really. I just can't put any pressure onto it, and I can't do things that require two hands. I haven't been able to mop or wash my hair by myself—it kind of sucks. Not that I'm complaining or anything. It could be worse. Thanks for washing the dishes for me, by the way."

He waved me off with a wet hand, telling me that it was no problem. He cut the faucet off moments later to dry his hands on one of the dish towels.

"What did you have to do today?" I asked.

He stepped over to me with a smile. "Don't tell me you forgot that I asked you out."

Forgot that he asked me out?

 _Oh._

Another thing that he claimed he was going to do when they came back was to take me out on a date. A real one. Just the two of us.

Realization set in quickly, and I suddenly felt hideous. I gazed down at my outfit—I wasn't wearing my usual clothes. Instead, I wore nothing but a pair of faded jean shorts. The borrowed, white tee that I was wearing was too tight due to Yuffie being practically flat chested. My face contorted in a grimace. This was all bad.

"Uh . . ." I shuffled around awkwardly. "Maybe I should go change first."

"You look fine."

He sent me a thumbs up to reassure me. Though his words were sweet, that didn't stop the feeling of embarrassment. There was no use in putting up a fight, though. What I was wearing now wasn't any different than what I had been wearing all week. And even if I did look bad, he'd seen me in worse conditions.

It felt like I was constantly reminding myself that. Sora has seen me through my worst phases, some that I didn't even want to bring up again. Compared to those, I looked normal. And thankfully, he thought so, too.

I nodded my head, my cheeks staining pink. "Okay. Let me go get my shoes."

* * *

 **THE AIR WASN'T** as cold as it had been lately. There were more people walking about. They scattered out along the Hollow Bastion streets in celebration of something I had no idea about. Perhaps it was some sort of holiday or custom that they had today. Regardless, children swarmed the streets, younger and older, laughing with their friends as if there wasn't a care in the world. They were generally separated by groups. The more friends that you had, the bigger your group was.

I envied a certain group. Two girls, each with short, choppy hair, walked along with two boys. Their laughter came out in bursts due to an inside joke that one of them had said. The eldest-looking teen was scowling at the younger boy when he began to poke fun at him. All of it was to the girls' amusement. It reminded me of simpler times. Times where I could make jokes that you would have to had been raised on an island to understand. Perhaps if we had been brought up in Hollow Bastion instead of Destiny Islands, we would have been that group. We would have still been together—no longer separated through worlds and passageways.

Unknown to me, my feet had began to drag while we walked. Not because I was tired, or because they were heavy, but because I had been too wrapped up in my thoughts to focus on walking. That was the way it had been for the past three weeks. I spent most of my time thinking about the past, present, and future, about my friends and my place in the world. A lot of things were changing. I was just trying to make sense of it all.

The sound of laughter was in the air, but only one of them brought me back to reality. To my left, Sora's lean frame shook with snickers. He had bent over to place his hands on his knees, steadying himself so that he wouldn't fall over. His eyes were squeezed shit; his lips curled up into the goofiest grin imaginable. His face was turning red from the extortion, and though he was laughing at me, I couldn't help but to smile at him.

"What do you mean you've been collecting _hairbrushes_?" He cried out between fits. "Of all things— _Oh, my God!"_

I felt the need to defend myself. "My hair is too long for me to keep track of, okay? Those brushes make it easier on me. Plus, I only have, like, five."

That sent him into another round of hysterics. The group of teenagers turned to look at him, chuckling with secondhand laughter. His laughs were contagious. I let out a sigh. He would never change, would he? He would always be the kid from Destiny Islands—the one who used to pretend he was a crab in the middle of class in the third grade. He would always be Sora, the boy that I completely and undoubtedly liked.

His laughter died down after a minute or two. His hand reached up to dramatically wipe the fake tears out of the corners of his eyes. Once he stood up straight, he glanced down at me, a few more giggles escaping.

Our first date consisted of us walking around the many districts of Hollow Bastion. There was not much else to do. Other than fighting, shopping, repairing the town, or enjoying someone else's company, it was pretty bland in the world. So, he had chose the later, allowing me to show him the many districts as he caught up on what we had missed in each others' lives for the past few weeks.

I liked it. I liked spending time with him doing nothing. It was the first time that I had ever went on a date with anyone, and the idea of a walk seemed just fine to me . . . because it was with him.

He was so opinionated and funny; every story he told made me want to hear more. When he thought something was hilarious, he would laugh at his own jokes. Each time he did stirred butterflies within my stomach. _Was this feeling going to be often?_

He jogged to catch up with me once I started walking again. "Sorry. It wasn't that funny."

"You've been laughing for four minutes straight." I tilted my head to look up at him as we walked past another group of teenagers. "It's not like _you_ haven't collected anything before. Remember when you used to collect earrings?"

His face paled, and I laughed. "I have a valid reason! They were for me."

"Your ears weren't even pierced." I giggled.

"I was going to get them pierced."

"Even though Anemoné said you couldn't."

"The only reason she didn't want me to was because you sneaked off and got yours done without asking." He teased.

It was the truth. Riku and Sora's mothers had always saw me like I was their shared daughter. They were all too overprotective, if you asked me. They stayed on my back about grades. They were big on me staying clean and tidy, meaning I couldn't go out with the boys making messes. I even had to ask permission for everything I did at one point. It was the reason why I had sneaked behind their backs to get piercings when I was thirteen.

A friend of Selphie's did them. She had used a piercing gun despite my wanting of needles. They had hurt like hell, but I thought it was worth it. Each of the shiny hoops were symbols of my teenage rebellion. I had gotten the lecture of a lifetime after they found out, too. The seven earrings nearly gave Kaia a heart attack. So, they banned Riku and Sora from ever getting anything of the sort. It was my fault that Sora was earring-less. Though, at the same time, it wasn't like he was actually going to let someone come close to his ear with needles anyways.

"I thought it was cool," I defended.

"I thought my earrings were cool."

"I think my hairbrushes are cool."

"Touché," he gave in. "Do you want another one?"

My eyes lit up at his question. He was offering to by another one of the general store's magical hairbrushes for me. Seeing my cheerful expression, he burst into laughter again. He exclaimed about how I was so weird and that he couldn't take me seriously anymore. It was ridiculous to the point where I laughed, too, people beginning to stare at us as we walked down the streets.

He was serious about buying another brush for me, surprisingly. I led him through the streets, skipping around as I told him everything I knew about Hollow Bastion. He just watched with a small smile. And when he nearly tripped because he was paying more attention to me than where he was going, it was my turn to laugh at him.

It was Hollow Bastion Restoration Day. Signs and balloons with the name adorned the districts. It was the day that marked the official one year anniversary since Hollow Bastion started being restored. It was the reason why all of the houses smelled of extravagant feasts, and the children were out with their friends. It was a holiday to celebrate peace. Of course they'd want to spend it with each other.

The festivities were not limited. Most shops were giving out free balloons with each purchase. People wore t-shirts displaying their love for the restoring world. Younger children were out picking flowers to give to their parents. Fathers and men of the likes were out laughing at jokes I couldn't understand. Mothers were decorating their houses in festive colours, chatting about the happy atmosphere. Music played throughout the districts. Everyone was in high spirits.

I didn't know why Aerith, Leon, Merlin, or Yuffie didn't mention anything about it. Perhaps, just like us, they didn't know. But, how could they not? I got the suspicion that they knew. Both Leon and Yuffie were out on defense duty; two people never usually did them at the same time. They must have not wanted the roaming Heartless to interrupt everyone's fun. Speaking of everyone's fun—Cid and Shera were out, too, exploring the holiday that the others had disregarded.

The Town Square was filled with people of ages. Steamers hung from light poles, swaying in the flower-scented breeze. The fountain had coloured lights within it, making it seem like the water itself had changed colours. People were talking and smiling, crowding the area in search of more festive activities. People were even throwing coins into the fountain hoping that their wishes would come true.

I led Sora over to the general store. He had lost me a few times, my small body getting mixed up within the crowd. He found me sooner or later, though, claiming my braid was hard to miss. It was probably a lie seeing as how he could see over a majority of everyone's heads. He had probably spotted me trying to squeeze through people who were bigger than me.

The store wasn't as crowded as it was outside. There were no more than fifteen people inside, scanning over the party supplies the store had for sale. By the front door, the owner gave me a smile and a wave. I returned the gestures. I had yet to learn his name, but his smile was enough for me to identify him.

Sora left my side to walk over to where shopping carts were lined up against the wall. I figured that he might have needed something from here if he was getting one of them. Maybe he was stocking up for the trip back on the road. He pulled one of the carts out, and motioned his head for me to follow him down one of the isles. The wheels squeaked every couple seconds, but he didn't seem to care about it. He disappeared down one of the corners. I chuckled before walking after him.

The first aisle that he led us in had snacks. Candies and sweets of the likes adorned the white shelves. Everything from cookies to peppermints sat there ready to be bought. Most importantly, there were no people in the isle. It was a bit away from where the shop owner was stationed; it was toward the edge of the store.

He looked over at me with a mischievous smirk. "Get in."

"What?" I asked, confused.

He pointed a finger at the metal shopping cart that he was pushing. "Hop in."

"Why don't you get in?" I questioned.

"Because you fit better than I do."

Whatever he was planning, it couldn't be good. Not that I put up much of a fight. He held the shopping cart tightly so that it wouldn't roll away while I climbed in. The basket was so small that I had to pull my knees up to my chest. Nonetheless, I leaned back to get into a comfortable position, and tilted my head back to look up at him. _What now?_

Before I could ask questions, he took off running down the isle. I was thrown back from the sudden speed. He laughed as he turned the corner, the cart almost tipping over because he didn't slow down. I had shouted for him to, but he didn't listen. Instead, he went down each aisle in zig-zag patterns.

People were starting to stare at us, mumbling about how overactive teenagers were. It reminded me of when Leon got scolded by the restaurant owner for interrupting his business. Older people didn't know what fun was, I concluded, even though I wouldn't call Sora putting my life on the line fun. They shrieked when he raced past them, moving out of the way before they could come in contact with the cart.

"Sora!" I cried between giggles, halfway scared. "Slow down before something bad happens!"

As soon as the words escaped my mouth, he swore under his breath. My head whipped around to see what had happened. He was no longer behind the cart. In fact, he was at the beginning of the aisle, groaning about how he had ran over his foot.

My blood ran cold. He had let the cart go. I was traveling by myself at high speeds, meaning that the shopping cart wasn't being controlled by anyone. His eyes went wide upon realizing his mistake. _Forget your foot! What about the girl with a fractured arm rolling in a runaway shopping cart?!_

"Sasuke, look out!"

The cart jerked as it rammed into one of the shelves. I squeezed my eyes shut in preparation for an impact that never came. Instead, I felt the sounds of plastic falling onto the floor. When I opened my eyes, I saw that bottles of cheap shampoos and conditioners had fallen on the ground. Some of them had even fell into the cart with me, landing on my legs in heaps of good-smelling piles.

Walking over to me, Sora burst into laughter. I couldn't see why he thought this was so funny. So many things could have gone wrong—we had gotten off easy. The cart could have ran into someone. It could have tipped over, and I would have ended up having to stay another two or three weeks. It could have been another limb that was fractured this time. Yet, here he was, laughing so hard that his face was turning red.

My brows were pulled low and my eyes were narrowed accusingly at him. He didn't seem to notice the way that I was shaking. My fingers trembled where they were wrapped around the sides of the cart. The corners of my lips had curled down into a frown.

He stood up straight as he out the last of his giggles. One glance at me was all that it took; he stopped smiling completely. His hands darted out to hold the cart so that I could get out. I climbed out without a word, still shaking until my foot reached the ground. I was safe. So, balling up my fist, I sent a punch at his bicep. He jumped and clutched his arm, taking in a sharp intake of air.

"What was that for?" he moaned.

"That's for letting me go flying into a shelf." I punched his arm again, and he groaned. "And that's for letting me go flying into a shelf knowing that I'm _already injured_."

He cradled his arm as he stared at me in disbelief. "All right, all right! I'm sorry. Jeez, what are they feeding you here? Your punches hurt."

I sent him a look.

"Are you okay?" he tried miserably.

My lips trembled, and I accidentally let out a snort from trying to hold in my laughter. He caught on to the fact that I wasn't serious. He rolled his eyes and shoved my shoulder, sending me stumbling to the side.

He told me that he would handle the mess that we had made. I declined, bending down to help him, but he swatted my one hand away. It felt wrong to watch him pick up each of the bottle. I could have been helping him. I wasn't useless. But, he didn't want it that way. He wanted to do it all himself, and who was I to not allow such a small request.

We had abandoned that aisle after it was cleaned. I was afraid that the owner was going to come to chew us out. Though, it wouldn't have shocked me. We had scared his customers, caused a ruckus, and knocked over some of his products. He would probably kick us out if he caught sight of us. It was the reason why I led Sora directly to the aisle containing my hairbrushes, picking one up and saying that we had to go.

It was a red one that I picked. I had a bunch of other colours except for that one. It was beyond me how I had forgotten a primary colour. Hell, it was beyond me why I needed them in every colour in the first place. However, Sora paid for it without calling me weird, and I found myself glad that I had forgotten a one. It was one of his favourite colours.

It was hot outside when we left the store. The Town Square was still in full effect, bustling with people waiting for the light show. I had only knew about it because of the fliers hung around the districts. One was going to start the moment the sun went away and the moon was high in the sky. It was interesting, though not was interesting as the clump of people standing in line in front of Scrooge's ice-cream stand.

We walked over to the stand with raised eyebrows. There had to have been at least thirty people waiting in line. For what, we didn't know. Teenagers stood in line laughing and joking. Parents were desperately trying to keep their little ones still. The shop sold the best ice-cream, that was for sure, but I didn't know if it was worth waiting in that long line for.

Sora went over to the front counter with me falling into step beside him. Huey, Dewy, and Louie were rushing about, dispelling ice-creams as fast as they could. Their faces went from drained to excited at the sight of Sora and I. They turned to give their full attentions to us, which earned a round of groans from the people standing in line.

"Heya, guys," Huey greeted happily. "It's been a while since we saw you Sora. How's it goin'?"

"We should be asking you that." Sora jutted a thumb towards the long line. "What's up with the line?"

Dewy ran a hand over his face as if to signalize how tired he was. "In honour of Hollow Bastion Restoration Day, Unca Scrooge is sellin' ice-cream for half-price until midnight. I don't think any of us thought the line would be this long."

Louie adjusted his green baseball cap with a sigh. "You can say that again . . ."

"Half-priced?" I hummed.

My gaze traveled upward to move over the menu. The frantic writing was easy to read. Just as they said, everything up there was marked down half of the price. It explained why people were hanging around the ice-cream stand. They had also brought out some new flavours to try, including a dark green one that didn't look too appealing. Was I going to tell the triplets that? No way.

"Do you want ice-cream?" I looked up at Sora and he shrugged his shoulders, pretending to play it cool even though he _did_ want some. "Two sea salt ice-creams, please."

"Two sea salts, comin' right up!" Louie grinned.

The people waiting in line let out irritated groans because we were being served before them. They had been waiting in line while we had just walked up to the counter. For that, I felt guilty. They were sending harsh glares that sent shivers down my spine. Yet, none of them were directed toward Sora, whom was leaning casually against the counter. They were all giving me the looks.

The only looks that were thrown Sora's way were from teenage girls. They whispered among their friends in fits of grins and giggles. They sounded excited from what I could hear. _But, for what?_ It didn't click to me until I seen the blushes dotting their faces.

I felt a scowl tugging at my expression. Of course Sora was good-looking—everyone knew that—but this was ridiculous. Even the girls of this world were giggling about him. They were pretty, too. _So why the hell was he standing here with me?_

He dug through his pocket to get munny when they ice-creams were brought over to us. A few coins rattled within them. I held out a hand to stop him before he could pull them out, though, and he looked down at me in confusion.

"I'm not going to make you pay for this, too," I said. "I've got it."

He waved me off. "It's okay. My mom always said that if I let a girl pay on the first date, I wasn't guaranteed a second one."

Forcing the guy to pay for everything . . . _That was definitely something that she'd enforce._

"First date?" The triplets exclaimed in unison.

I let out a heavy sigh. Not because they knew, but because the girls in line now knew. The amounts of glares that I was getting nearly doubled. Jeez.

"Well, in that case, it's on the house!"

I chuckled. "I'm going to start feeling bad if you guys keep giving us free ice-cream."

Sora nudged me with his elbow. "What she means is: thank you."

A laugh blew passed my lips. He had never been one to turn down free food no matter how guilty he—or I, in this case—felt afterwards. He left his munny in his pocket, taking the two ice-creams from the young ducks. He was smirking as the people in line complained about the unfair treatment. A few people had even began to shout that it was their first dates, too, just to get free ice-cream. It made Huey sigh.

We went back to walking after that. With a mutual agreement that the streets were growing busier as the minutes ticked by, we headed toward the house. He had handed me one of the ice-creams when we got out of the Town Square in fear of it melting. Plus, he was already carrying my brush. I'd feel bad if he had to carry all of my stuff.

Since it was getting later in the day, the streets were starting to fill up. Children waved around streamers, flags, and balloons adorning the world's colours. People were starting to parade around with Hollow Bastion pride. I had to weave between a few of the crowds, trying not to get my ice-cream on any of them. Seeing that I was struggling with it, Sora reached out to take it back from me. So much for not wanting him to carry all of my stuff.

The sky was bright beyond the few clouds. The air was hot, however, filled with the hoots of excited teenagers It brought along memories of Kairi, Riku, Sora, and I cheering at the beach during the holidays. Wayra would always light off the loudest fireworks. Not even the yelling of excited high-schoolers could compare to the noises they made.

The Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee house was no more than ten minutes away from the Town Square. A few of the lights were on inside, shining through the windows and showing that people were home. The two of us had bounded through the front door to escape the madness outside. We gave greetings to whoever could have been inside—only Aerith and Merlin. They opened their mouths to ask us where we went, but Sora motioned with his head for me to follow him upstairs, jogging off with the ice-cream that I wanted back. I sent out a round of apologies to the two before chasing after him.

The wooden flooring continued to creak under our rushed footsteps. I paid not mind to it. I was too busy laughing at Sora's face. His eyes were gleaming with mischief, and his mouth was pulled up into one of those goofy grins. It didn't occur to me that it was the same look he had when he told me to get inside of the shopping cart. Though, when it did, it was already too late for me.

He had led me over to one of the windows on the second floor. His smirk was prominent even as he handed both of the ice-creams to me. There was no time to ask him what he was planning. I didn't get a chance for any of that for his hands gripped at the window, pulling it open far enough for a body to fit through. It squeaked in protest. But, it opened, and he climbed through it onto the part of the slanted roof that it led to.

"C'mon," he coaxed, looking through the window opening at me.

I shook my head. "You're crazy."

If he thought that I was climbing through a window to sit on the roofing with him, he had another thing coming.

He gently took both of the ice-creams from my active hand. "Just grab my hand. I've got you."

He held out a hand toward me. His face, so carefree that it almost scared me, held and incomparable amount of determination. Despite where I stood inside of the house, I could feel the soft breeze blowing outside beyond the window. My eyes trailed from the roof back to his awaiting hand. If he thought that I was climbing through a window to sit on the roofing with him, he was going to get what he wanted.

I placed my hand into his, his instantly wrapping around mine. Ducking my head under the glass, he helped me though. It wasn't as graceful as when he did it, though. That was for sure. He held onto my hand tighter when I almost slipped. Warning about how I needed to keep my balance if I didn't want to go tumbling off echoed through the quiet space. He released my hand, and I shot him a look. _Because everyone wanted to hear about falling off of a roof._

It looked so beautiful from up high. One could clearly see all of the streamers, lights, balloons, and banners that they had hung around Hollow Bastion. Every corner and alley the streets led off to were visible. All of the games the children played seemed smaller. And as I sat down on the slanted roof, I felt the breeze blow my braid around my lower back. It was amazing.

"I knew you'd like it up here." Sora plopped down next to me, already starting to eat his ice-cream. "I figured this way you could pretend you're bigger than everyone else.

I glared at him. "Is that a short joke?"

He kept his eyes trained on the view in front of us. The sun had begun to set during our escapades at the window, creating swirls of orange and pink within the clouds. It would be dark out in the next hour and a half, no doubt. It cast pretty gleams on the birds that flew above our heads. How could I have never seen a scene so beautiful? It looked completely different than the way it did beyond the bedroom window.

I began to eat my ice-cream. If I hadn't, it would have melted off of its stick. It would have sucked for us to go through all of that trouble just for it to melt on the roof.

My fingers drummed over the wooden Popsicle stick. "They're having a competition with these. You're supposed to look at the sticks once you're done. It tells you if you're a winner or not."

"What's the prize?" He glanced down at his ice-cream with a newfound fascination.

"Beats me. It has to be something cool, though." I shrugged.

"Hey, Sasuke?" he suddenly called, and I turned my head to look at him. "Why do you like me?"

The look on my face must have been stupid. "W-what?"

He turned to look at me, one of those small smiles grazing his face. Just by him looking at me, my cheeks were beginning to heat up. There was no need for him to bring that up. But, we were on a date, I supposed. It was an innocent question, and a good time to ask.

He chuckled, reaching a hand over to pat my head. "I'm kidding. You don't have to blush so much, you know."

I let out a breath. "I'm not blushing."

"Yeah, right." He leaned back on his free arm and focused back on the view. "You've been doing it a lot lately."

"I haven't even seen you for the past three weeks," I defended.

"Even before that," he said.

I turned my attention toward my ice-cream. "Well, what about you? Why do you like me?"

"Because it's always been that way," he answered truthfully. "You've always just been Sasuke—no one else. There's no mysteries surrounding you. You still laugh at the same jokes, you still like the same colours, and you still treat me like . . . _me_ , not the Keyblade Bearer. And, yeah—everyone changes at some point, even me, but I don't have to worry about you changing. You're the only one I knew would always stay by my side."

"You must forget about Riku and Kairi.

"Yeah, but Kairi changes like the seasons, and no one really knows what's up with Riku."

I smirked. "So you've never thought about Riku that way?"

He shoved me so hard that I almost dropped my ice-cream. "Ew, no. Shut up."

"You were my first kiss."

"What?" He looked at me with wide, incredulous eyes. "Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack." I nodded.

He didn't seem to believe that. "You're seriously serious?"

I wanted to laugh, but I didn't know if it should be an insult that he was so shocked. Realizing what he was saying, he let out a string of stutters.

"N-not that that's a b-bad thing!" he cleared up, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "I-I mean, I wish I would've known. I wouldn't have done it."

I chuckled, gazing down at my lap. "I don't regret it, if that's what you're thinking."

He let out a long sigh. "This is all coming out wrong. It's like I don't know how to talk to you anymore."

"Don't be so nervous, Sora." This time, it was me who had shoved him. "It's just me. Plain ol' Sasuke the hairbrush collector."

"Plain ol' Sasuke makes my stomach do flips," he admitted, looking away from me.

I felt my face go hot. He admitted to it. He felt the same way that I felt whenever I was around him. He felt all of the tingles, the sparks, and more—he felt everything.

He didn't even have to bother looking at me. "Stop blushing."

"Sorry," I squeaked.

Leaning back to lie down, he crossed his arms behind his head, having already finished his ice-cream. He didn't say much else. His eyes were half-lidded, focusing on the wayward clouds above us.

This time two years ago, I was in my apartment, wondering when I'd get the opportunity to be with someone else. When the sun was up, I was with my best friends. When the sun began to set, I was at home, along in the empty space that I had been granted. But now, as the sun set in front of me, I wasn't by myself. Sora was right beside me. And for the first time in years, I felt like I belonged somewhere.

"What are you thinking about?"

I glanced over at him. He was staring up at me, those blue eyes of his sparkling with confusion. It was as if he could read my every expression. It was as if he knew when I had escaped into my thoughts. Then again, we had been together for years. How could he not?

I finished off my ice-cream with a sigh. "Sora?"

"Mhm?" he hummed.

"I don't want things to change between us," I murmured.

He sat up, then, his brows furrowing in even more confusion. I wanted him to know how important he was to me . . . as a friend. I didn't want to lose him over things as trivial as this. And though I was happy where we were right now, it wasn't worth our friendship fading away. What we were doing right now was nothing more than a personal pleasure. It was no telling how it would turn out in the long run—what it would risk in the long run.

"Things won't change," he assured. "I promise."

In a moment of sincerity, I stuck out my pinkie finger. He chuckled before linking his longer one around mine. It was a sign of promise. One who broke the pinkie swear would be cursed forever, they say. It was probably the reason why people our age didn't do them anymore. Teenagers were pathological liars, but I knew that he wouldn't lie to me. Especially since he swore to it.

"I promise that I'll always be your best friend, and you'll always be mine, whether we're dating or not," he agreed, shaking our pinkies up and down twice. "Looks like you're stuck with me."

I simply smiled. "Yup, looks like it."

* * *

 ** _ _THE WAVES PUSHED__** _ _and pulled at the shores, leaving behind each indent in the sand. It blew around salty air, blowing at the palm trees that swayed overhead. Seagulls squawked in them. They had this sort of rhythmic call to them. It was like they knew when was the best time to sing their song, and to lull the golden beach into the perfect serenity.__

 _ _The skies looked blue from where I sat on the sand. There was barely a cloud in the sky. It was uncommon; clouds usually loomed around to create the picturesque image that people loved. There wasn't a person on this island who could say that they didn't love the ocean and the sky. It was what I treasured most.__

 _ _I had shut my eyes to take in everything. I took a minute to take in the crunching, golden sand beneath my toes. To feel the sun's rays tanning my skin that oh-so-desperately needed it. To feel the air blow my hair like black ribbons behind my head. To hear the sound of the ways crashing with the shimmering coast.__

 _ _I didn't open my eyes even when I heard the sound of footsteps. The crunching sand beneath their shoes gave them away. The footsteps stopped right beside me, turning into scuffling noises when the person sat down. I could make out the sounds of a chain—a necklace—clanking against itself. Sora. I didn't have to see to know that it was him.__

 _" _Why're you all by yourself?"__

 _ _I opened my eyes to look at the boy in question. His deep voice sounded concerned. It matched his facial expression, for his head was tilted in that boyish__ _ _sort of__ _ _way. His thick brows were pulling together in the center.__ _ _His eyes, the same colour as the very skies above our heads, searched my face for any sign of discomfort. He was stunning even when he was worrying about someone else.__

 _ _His brown hair blew in the breeze as he spoke, "You don't have to be alone all the time."__

 _ _I didn't answer. The sound of the crunching sand rang throughout the tranquil silence again.__ _ _Someone else was coming. Though, this time, whoever it was didn't sit down. The footsteps stopped on the other side of me; the image of pale skin was in the corner of my eye.__

 _ _I turned to see who it was. Riku. His toned arms were crossed over his chest in an authoritative stance. Rather than looking at Sora and me, his sea-green gaze was fixated on the waves in front of us. He was the only other person I knew who could live on a beach and remain so pale. It was fearful how his skin was nearly lighter than his silvery hair.__

 _ _His words came out deep and emotionless. "For once, I agree with him."__

 _ _On the other side of me, Sora__ _ _playfully rolled his eyes. "What do you mean__ _for once_ _ _?"__

 _" _Hey, you say some pretty crazy things sometimes." Riku snorted. "I can't go agreeing with everything that comes out of your mouth."__

 _" _Gee, thanks."__

 _ _If there was such a thing as bliss, I imagined that it would look similar to this. To have these two boys by my side was truly something to be grateful for. It wasn't everyday that a person was gifted with such luxuries. To me on a beach as lovely as this one, and to have companions one was willing to risk anything for, it was surely blissful__

 _ _My gaze traveled to the boy on my right. Sora had already been staring. His expression hadn't let up, still seemingly worried about me rather than anything else.__

 _ _He nervously bit down on his bottom lip. "What's wrong?"__

 _" _Sasuke?" Riku called.__

 _ _My head turned to look at my left. I had been expecting for him to be sending me the same__ _ _concerned glance. However, what I saw to my left wasn't my best friend. It wasn't Riku.__

 _ _It was someone else that looked like him. His eyes were a glowering blue-green; his hair was ragged and choppy. He wasn't wearing the teen's normal attire. A suit clung tightly to his skin, displaying colours of blacks, blues, purples, and reds to match the Heartless symbol embedded on his chest. It was a Riku that I had seen in the past. It was the Riku that wasn't Riku.__

 _ _My head turned__ _ _to__ _ _see if Sora saw the same thing. My eyes widened, though, for Sora wasn't what I saw.__

 _ _It was a boy who appeared exactly like him. His spiky black hair was no longer it's golden brown, but an onyx the same colour as darkness itself. His eyes glowed a yellow so bright it almost hurt to look at them. And his expression . . . the pure evil etched on his Sora-like features caused my stomach to churn uncomfortably. He was wearing an outfit similar to the false Riku's, only darker and far more menacing.__

 _ _The Sora look-alike tilted his head in the same manner that Sora always did, a smirk tugging at his lips. "What's wrong?"__

 _ _His voice wasn't the same. It was provoking. Sora would have never spoke in such harsh octaves, let alone to me. It was a reminder that whoever this person was, it wasn't my best friend.__

 _ _I scooted back on the sand. The golden grains were lodging in between my toes, but I paid it no mind. It was necessary in order for me to get away from the two boys. The two boys whom were just__ _my_ _ _boys a minute ago.__

 _ _It only succeeded in making the Sora look-alike smirk wider. "__ _ _Why are you moving away?"__

 _" _You're not Sora," I mumbled, moving further away from the two of them.__

 _" _Oh, but I am."__

 _ _He stood up with a deep chuckle. He was tall and lean—his physical features resembled Sora the more I looked at him. It was intimidating for him to look down at me with those glowing eyes. So, I scrambled up onto my bare feet, taking a few steps back for good measure.__

 _ _I focused my energy to call upon my Keyblade. It was the only way for me to defend myself; they looked big enough to overpower me if they wanted to. And as a flash of light set through the beach scene, I felt a bit of comfort settling in my chest.__

 _ _Though, nothing was in my hand. The false Riku took a few steps closer to me. It was then did I see my Keyblade. It was in his gloved-hands, adding fuel to the smirk that was making its way across his face. I felt the blood drain out of my face.__

 _" _You looking for this?" he asked mischievously.__

 _ _I searched around the area for something for me to defend myself with—nothing. "What's going on?"__

 _ _My gaze trailed down to my body. The cropped shirt that I had once been wearing had been exchanged for a black cloak. The silver chains jingled from my quickened breathing. It was a cloak that I had instantly recognized. It was the cloak of the Organization XIII. But, why was it on me?__

 _ _I didn't get the chance to dwell on it. With a blur of black, my chin was being yanked, forcing my eyes to meet those haunting yellow ones. The Sora look-alike had moved closer to me during my inspection. He was so close that his breath fanned across my face. His cold hands had gripped my chin with such a ferosity that made my neck ache. His stare bore into mine, and for a moment, I swore I could have saw a familiar speck of blue within them.__

 _ _My body squirmed to get out of his grasp. I had almost gotten free when his hand shot out to grip my waist, holding me so tight that his knuckles were turning white. He wasn't giving me the option to leave. All that I could do was stare into his eyes, my heart pounding in fear and adrenaline, as he held my chin up to look at him.__

 _" _Aw, don't be like that, Sasuke.__ _ _C'mon, smile. Let me see those pretty, little dimples that I like so much,__ _ _" his disturbing voice cooed, his expression looking almost . . . hurt. "I thought you liked me."__

 _ _I struggled again. His grip on my waist tightened, forcing me to cry out from the pain. It was rough enough to leave bruises.__

 _ _He leaned down closer to me, the tips of our noses almost touching. "You had no trouble telling me__ _ _how much__ _ _you__ _ _cared about__ _ _me when we were kids. We__ _ _ll, as much make-believe__ _ _feelings__ _ _you could__ _ _have__ _ _, considering you__ _ _have no heart__ _ _."__

 _ _He was scaring me. In an attempt to get away from him, I kicked my legs at him. He made a sound that was almost winded when my knee came into contact with the area between his legs. His grip on me faltered for a mere minute. It was enough time to get away. Forcing his hands off of me, I took off running in the other direction. Because that was all that I could do. I couldn't do anything__ _but_ _ _run.__

 _ _I didn't get very far until something snatched at my hair. My body was yanked backward. It was the false Riku who had done it, the long, dark strands wrapping around his forearm to secure me in place. He was making sure that I wouldn't run away. Another cry of pain slipped past my lips. My scalp felt like it was being pulled away from my head.__

 _ _He forced me to watch as the Sora look-alike walked over to me. He had summoned his own Keyblade. He held the Kingdom Key proudly in his hands, his eyes never leaving mine.__ _ _D__ _ _espite all of my constant struggling, I knew that I wasn't getting out of this one.__

 _ _My eyes squeezed shut when he placed a hand on my cheek. Though he was caressing me, I couldn't help but to feel like his fingers were covered in a thousand needles.__ _ _And suddenly, I felt something sharp putting pressure right over my stomach.__

 _ _That wasn't what bothered me most. It was the sound of Sora's actual voice that sent shivers down my spine.__

 _" _This is for lying to me."__

 _ _The pressure against my stomach grew stronger. Before I knew it, it had pierced through me so far that I felt it come out through the other end, and I let out a scream. Not that it lasted long, for I had starting coughing up blood. The Sora look-alike had stabbed me through the gut.__

* * *

 **"DON'T!"**

I had woke up with a start that morning. My heart was pounding angrily in my chest while beads of sweat had started to gather on my forehead. My breathing had came out in sporadic bursts to match the rise and falls of my chest. My eyes were wide and bewildered from the shock. My body had jolted up as well, smacking my cast against the side of the bunk bed.

I wasn't on the islands. Rather, I was in the bedroom that I shared with Yuffie and Aerith. The morning light flooded in through the windows, drowning the four walls in shades of gold and blue. The clock on the nightstand blared numbers too early for me to be awake. It wasn't real. None of it had happened.

"Damn it," I whimpered, pulling my arm closer to me.

Aerith sat up where she had been lying in her bed. "Sasuke? Are you okay?"

I let out a moan to let her know that I was somewhat all right. Stings were shooting up my arm. It started where it had been hit against the bed post, echoing all the way up to my elbow. It hurt, of course. The physical pain was something that I could block out, though, but the emotional pain I was experiencing was exhausting.

It had been over a week since I last saw Sora. It had been over a year since I last saw Riku. The boys were nowhere near me, off taking in the worlds at their own rates and paces. So, why was I having dreams about them now of all times.

I struggled out of the bed, not caring that Aerith was watching me. She eyes stayed glued on me even as I dug through one of the dressers to pull out an outfit for the day. She was worried about me. Anyone could tell that much. But, I couldn't sit here and explain anything to her. A shower was what I needed. My body was sticky from sweating throughout my dream, and my heart was beating too fast for my liking. I needed a way to calm down.

The house was eerily quiet. It was too early for anyone else to have been awake. Well, anyone else other than Leon. I had caught sight of him brushing his teeth in the second bathroom. He didn't seem to notice me when I walked passed the open door. Not that it bothered me. I didn't make any move to greet him, slipping into the smaller bathroom just two doors down.

I closed the door and locked it once I was inside. My bare feet tapped lightly on the tiled floor on the way to the shower. Letting out a deep sigh, I switched on the shower. The water spilled from the shower head in sparkling streams. After feeling it out for the temperature, I stripped out of my night clothes, secured my cast, and got inside. The warm water cascaded upon me as if it was trying to ease my troubles. It was a good thing; it was exactly what I needed.

The dream had felt so real. I could still feel the way the sun's rays prickled at my skin. I could still smell salt-water. It wasn't often that I dreamed about anything in the first place. To have dreamed about my sandy shores and my best friends, it started out as a fantasy that I thought was real.

Though, when things took a turn for the worst, it slowly became my worst nightmare. The Sora look-alike in the dream had been so intimidating and violent. He didn't care about the way I felt or how he treated me. Him paired with the possessed Riku . . . it was gut-wrenching. I wanted nothing more than to make sure that it wasn't as real as it felt like it was. My hand slid down to my bare stomach. There was no blood, no cuts, and Sora nor Riku were here. It wasn't that reassuring, but it was a start.

 _Change the topic, Sasuke. Think about something else._

A small smile fitted across my face. Sora. It had been over nine days since he left that day, declaring to come back once my six weeks were up. That was, after our first date had ended. He was one of the only people that I felt the happiest around, I concluded, for he had filled that day with endless smiles, conversation, and laughter. The nervousness in my stomach had last for hours. That didn't include the many times he had caught me blushing, either. But, then again, it was the reason why he had asked me out on a second one.

It didn't hold any contrast to the Sora look-alike. The real one made me laugh. The fake one made me miserable. The real one wanted me to be happy. The fake one prided on making me uncomfortable. The real one protected me. The fake one had tried to kill me. They weren't the same person in the slightest. _The Sora I knew would never._

My hand reached out to switch the water off once I was finished. I was careful stepping out of the shower. The last thing anyone needed was for a repeat of last time to happen. It was bad enough that Aerith had woken up due to my frantic nightmare. I didn't need her helping me out of the shower again.

I was out of the bathroom thirty minutes later. Dressed in nothing other than shorts and a random sweater of Yuffie's, I marched down the stairs after brushing my teeth. The ends of my hair were still wet. It sat in its messy bun at the top of my head, waving up a bit where the water had touched it. It was the only thing that I could manage with one hand. It could be worse.

There was no point in me going back into the bedroom. Aerith and Yuffie were in there trying to get a few more hours of sleep until they had to be up for the day. Yuffie had been placed on defense duty with Leon this afternoon; Aerith had patrolling around twelve o'clock. They didn't need me bothering them, and the only thing left for me to do was to go exploring.

Ever since Sora and the boys left, I found myself going out on the town more. I no longer wanted to stay in the house, waiting for something interesting to come my way. He had snapped me out of my fractured arm blues. He made me realize that the world was out there for my taking. Fun things happened beyond the bedroom door. I just had to go out and find them. I was the reason why I often strolled the streets, saying hello to the neighbours on my way around the districts.

I had even befriended Trevor, whom Scrooge had taken up as a sort of apprentice. In what, no one knew. The boy told me tales about how much he hated walking all the way from Housing District Seven to follow the older duck around the Town Square. He'd then glare at me when I laughed at him.

Much like the inside of the house, not many people were about. They were mainly in their homes, snoring away the morning until it was time to awaken. The only people who were up were the ones running shops during times like this. So, turning one of the corners, I headed for the Shopping District with full intent of getting breakfast. Surely there had to be something going on around there.

The flowers along the streets still held morning dew on their petals. It was seven in the morning, after all. The remains of the morning were something that I had gotten used to seeing for the past week. Hollow Bastion had two points in which it was in its prime: morning and sunset. The fresh air brought a smile to my face. It was hard to think that weeks ago the thought of going out this early was enough to make me cringe.

There was an alleyway that one had to pass to get to the Shopping Districts. Usually, it was empty save for a few dumpsters, but today was different. There was someone standing in it. Their body leaned lazily against the side of one of the buildings, their thing arms crossed over their chest. I couldn't see who it was because I had walked without a second thought. Though, I could make out the black hood covering their face. _What the hell?_

I brushed it off as a figure of my imagination. After my nightmare, the last thing I needed was to work myself up with thought of the Organizat—

"Woah, there!"

Hands darted out to grip my shoulders. I had been so focused on my thoughts rather than where I was going. It didn't occur to me that there were still people out and about. More specifically, the man in front of me, who I had almost ran into. The pale skin and pretty, black, almond-shaped eyes didn't take long to recognize.

"Akiba?" I croaked out.

His blue-black brows furrowed before realization brightened up his handsome features. "Oh, Sasuke! It's you."

It was Akiba. It had been a long while since I had last seen him, running into his wife during my journey around Hollow Bastion with the boys. He looked wide awake for the early hours in the day. His hair was still swept into his eyes in that bedhead sort of way. A uniform clung to his lean physique as if ht was on his way to work. His lips pulled up into a smile, giving view to the dimples that carved into his cheeks.

"G-good morning," I stuttered, suddenly feeling very out of place.

"Morning." He removed his hands once I had steadied myself. "I haven't seen you around here in a while. Why are you up so early?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Just out for a walk. What about you?"

"I have to open up shop. Yue's in there going over a few things." He jutted a thumb to one of the shops a few feet away.

"Oh—"

I was cut off by the sound of my stomach rumbling. The both of us fell silent, looking at each other as if wondering who was going to speak first. It was him. He laughed a laugh that sounded so familiar that my insides churned. I simply shrunk a bit from the embarrassment.

"Have you eaten?" He chuckled.

"N-not yet. I kind of just walked out of the house after I showered."

He slapped a hand back onto my shoulder. "Well, c'mon, then! You can't go around hungry!"

There wasn't any room to protest. He practically pushed me toward the shop despite me saying that I was fine. I was biting my lip to keep from laughing. He reminded me of Wayra in a way—in that fatherly sort of sense. Wayra would have done the same if I told him that I hadn't eaten. And here Akiba was, dragging me along the cobblestone streets to his items shop.

The inside of it was tidy. Shelves of armor, bracelets, potions, and other things littered the walls. Pictures of magical beings hung on display. There were a few weapons here and there. Nothing too rowdy for the small store. And in the back of it sat a counter and a cash register. All of which his wife was cleaning off with a cleaning rag.

The bell above the door chimed when we walked in. Her silvery eyes moved to glance up at us, reflecting light from the sun just beyond the glass windows. Her black hair was pulled back into that same ponytail at the nape of her neck. She too was wearing a shop uniform, though, unlike Akiba, she was wearing an apron tied around her waist. Her stoic expression eased up at the sight of us, clearly happy that her husband was back.

Akiba led me further into the shop with an award-winning smile. "Look who I ran into again."

Yue looked at me, and I fidgeted from her intense, metallic stare. Nonetheless, I raised a pale hand to wave at her. Part of me was expecting for her to ask what I was doing here. But, instead, she smiled, her full lips pulling upward. She blew some of the flyaway strand of hair out of her face before returning the gesture.

"Good morning, Sasuke," she greeted kindly.

I fidgeted once more. "Good morning."

"Sasuke here hasn't eaten anything," Akiba filled in. "You can hear her stomach growling miles away."

I jumped at his exaggeration. "Really, it's not that loud."

Yue just laughed. It was a beautiful laugh that went well with her beautiful features. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from doing anything embarrassing. Moving a lock of her thigh-length hair behind her ear, she sent me a smile sweet enough to change the darkest of Heartless.

"Let's go find you something to eat, then."

"No, really, it's not that big of a deal!"

* * *

 **3rd Person P.O.V.**

* * *

 **IT WAS GOOD** to see them so . . . happy. It had been years since she had seen their smiles so bright. So full of life that they thought they weren't going to get back. And at that, Hixari felt herself release a sigh. It was about time.

She had figured that their meeting was going to happen sooner or later. Even then, she hadn't completely expected this. She hadn't expected the couple to take such a liking to the kid so suddenly. She had thought that the sight of her would bring around those warm, fuzzy feelings that people liked to talk about oh-so much. This was different, she supposed. They felt the difference in that dark-haired girl.

She watched them push a plate of food to Sasuke from her spot outside the window. With her hood thrown over her head, she was concealed within the hidden spot. It was definitely an unforeseeable event. Hixari had been so caught up watching over her and Sora that she had forgotten about her own damn parents.

* * *

 **Heya! A new chapter a week later just like I promised! Though, it would have been up an hour ago had I not had problems uploading it. Oh, well.**

 **Fun Fact of the Chapter: Sora has been eating Sasuke's mangoes for about three years now due to her allergy.**

 **~ Insane**


	23. Agrabah

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: AGRABAH**

 **SASUKE**

 **"When being together is more important than what you do, you're with a friend."  
** **\- Connie McMartin**

* * *

 **IT TOOK TWO** hands to pull my thigh-highs up my legs. It felt almost foreign to put my own clothes on. Getting my own self dressed, for that matter. It was easier to lace up my tube top with my arm no longer in its cast. Before it had been impossible for me to do it myself. Now it only took sixty seconds.

My six week long injury leave had passed by quickly. Time had gone slow in the beginning, but flew after the first seven or so days. Between my devotion to a clean house, and my affairs throughout the town, I had managed to keep myself busy. My six weeks had been spent with the Restoration Committee, Scrooge, the triplets, Trevor, Akiba, Yue, and just about anyone else I had ran into. I supposed that was what made time fly so fast.

It had been six weeks since my arm was fractured by Xaldin's Nobody weapons. I had been living in Hollow Bastion for a total of six weeks now. Not that it was a bad thing. Though it was fun and rejuvenating to take a break, I often found myself missing the action of the road. It was the reason why I had gotten dressed with a smile, running my red hairbrush through my hair once my clothes were okay. After six long weeks, I could finally leave.

The things that I had looked forward to throughout my time here were sentimental. I woke up every morning just to watch the sun rise. I sat on the rooftop every evening just to watch it set. I talked to everyone about their lives, their hopes, their dreams, and what they believed in. I loved nothing more than to hear Yuffie's tales about her custom of ninjas, something she was passionate about, I learned. Nothing was more exciting that going down to the ice-cream stand to try out their new flavours. It was how my life went . . . up until now.

I had gotten my cast taken off two days ago. Aerith wanted me to stay the extra couple days so she could monitor my arm outside of the cast. She must have been afraid that it would pop, crack, or bend at odd angles. It didn't. It was just as functioning as it was six weeks ago, maybe a bit better if I did say so myself. So, she had given up this morning, asking Merlin to call the boys over to Hollow Bastion.

My shoes still made the wood flooring of the hallway to creak and whine. The noises fell upon deaf ears, though, for my focus was on anything other than that. There was no time to pay attention to the fact that Merlin hadn't fixed the stairs yet.

It took all of my willpower not to trip down from how fast I was trying to go. I had just gotten over a fractured arm. The last thing I needed was a broken leg to follow it up.

I was rushing to the moment that I had been waiting for. The moment for me to return to my old self. The moment that I could defend myself without having to depend on anyone else. The moment that I could go back to being a heroine in my own right. The moment where my stay here would come to an end.

The sun had been shining through the windows downstairs. It created streaks of light against the wood-styled furniture. Everything was drowned in flares of white and gold. Dust danced in those light beams, reminding me that my cleaning services would no longer be provided here. It should have been the last thing on my mind, however. Especially since the people I wanted to see most sat in the living room.

Eight pairs of eyes landed on me when I reached the last step. One of them I had instantly recognized as Sora's; his lips pulled up into a smile despite his crossed arms. It was the first time that I had seen him in weeks. It was the second time that I had to say that phrase, but from now on, I wouldn't have to. There was no leaving me behind. There were no goodbyes that had to be exchanged between us. I was apart of the crew again.

Aerith gave my body a once over. Her smile was timid and concerned as if she were looking for a reason for me not to go—a last minute mistake that she hadn't caught onto. She had just wanted to make sure that I was all right. I returned the smile, and flexed my once unusable arm around to show her that all was well. I could feel every joint in my hands, every nerve, and every brush of wind against my skin. There was nothing to be worried about.

Donald waved at me from his spot by front door. "Are you ready to go?"

I nodded once. "Yes."

"Be careful out there."

Leon pushed himself off of one of the living room walls. His arms were crossed over his chest in that iconic Leon sort of way. I shifted my smile to his direction, walking the few feet over to him. Confusion seemed to dance across his expression. More so as my arms raised to wrap around his torso, bringing him into a hug. He went stiff under my touch. His eyes darted around the room almost like he was wondering if I had really broken the contact barrier. _I suppose I did, didn't I?_ I released him, and moved on to hugging Aerith instead.

"Thanks, guys," I said after I had hugged Merlin. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Anytime. You be careful not to let anything happen again." Aerith giggled.

"No promises." I moved on to hug Yuffie. "But, I'll try to stay out of danger."

Cid sent a pointed look at the three boys standing by the door. "If you boys drop that little girl off here with another injury, I'm comin' after you three personally. Ya hear?"

"Loud and clear." Donald gulped.

I wanted to laugh at Cid's menacing glare. In the days that Cid and Shera had graced the house with their presence, they had acted more like my parents than normal friends. They spent their free time checking up on me and cooking those boisterous meals that they loved so much. There was not a day where I hadn't eaten well, whether be it from Aerith or Shera. Cid liked telling me about rockets and things of that nature. It didn't matter to him that his talk usually went in through one ear and out through the other.

I wrapped me arms around him in the tightest hug yet. He smelled of motor oil and gun powder—a combination that sounded worse than it was. Shera walked over to us, turning into a group hug with a bright smile. It wasn't like it was the last time that I was going to see them. It was just the last time for a while. Hopefully. There was no telling what was going to happen in the future. I could end up right back here next week without knowing it now. But, it felt like the hugs were necessary. I wanted them all to know how much I appreciated them taking care of me when I barely could myself.

Cid was the first one to pull out of the group hug. He grumbled something about how hugs weren't supposed to be longer than ten seconds. He had also mentioned needing a cigarette. The statement send Shera into a round of frowns. He had quit smoking sometime during our slumbers. Apparently, the habit was crawling its way back

With the goodbyes exchanged and in order, the four of us took our leave into the outside streets. It was a bitter-sweet moment. I didn't think that I would find myself missing the Restoration Committee house, but I did. I had gotten used to staying there for so long. It had grown to be a second home . . . a second home that I was leaving for my real purpose: to be with my friends.

We were quiet, rounding corners in plausible silence. None of the boys had made any action to talk. They didn't make a single noise. It could have been because they were getting used to having me back. Or, it could have been because they simply had nothing to say.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't complete. It felt like there was still something left for me to do within the world of Hollow Bastion. Something that I had forgotten. _What was it?_

 _Oh, yeah . . ._

I stopped walking, and so did Sora when he seen that I had. He looked down at me with a questioning expression. Him stopping had made Donald and Goofy come to a halt, too. The three of them stared at me with the same looks. They were wondering why we weren't leaving.

"What's wrong?" Goofy asked.

"Can we stop by somewhere before we leave?" I replied. "I want to say goodbye to someone."

Sora nodded, that reserved smile fitting across his handsome features. "Lead the way."

I knew the way there pretty well. How could I not have? The familiar scent of flowers blew upon the breeze. The sun's rays beamed down in ways that made my skin tingle from the warmth. There was not one cloud in the sky, and there didn't look to be a chance of one coming in the later hours. It was the perfect day. It was the perfect day for me to go where I belonged.

People rose commotions where they guided along the cobblestone streets. It was about that hour in the day that children liked to come out to play games. A few of them waved to me as we walked passed, recognizing me from the many times I had stopped to join them. Elderly couples set about Hollow Bastion with their arms linked together while they took their daily strolls. Goofy looked fascinated by them the most.

One wouldn't really expect so much bliss in a place like this one. I sure didn't. I had learned over my time here that they were just as happy as they wanted to be. The fact that they weren't was a common misconception.

I led them inside of one of the stores in the Shopping District. The little, bronze bell above the glass door chimed at our arrival. The people inside, who were scanning over shelves of armor and whatnots, looked over at us. The turned back to what they were doing seconds later, clearly not having that much interest in us. Though, one person did keep looking. It was the blue-black-haired man standing behind the cash register with a smile that reflected two perfect dimples.

I smiled back at him. "I thought you weren't working today."

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind."

Akiba was big on hugging. That being said, it didn't shock me when he left his spot behind the counter to wrap his arms around me. He stood at an easy height of six-foot-three perhaps. It was the reason why I found myself crushed into his chest, his strong arms coming close to crushing my spine. I still wasn't used to it even after all of my visits here.

Akiba glanced over at the boys. "These your friends?"

"Yeah, you've met . . . them before, remember?" I wheezed, pulling out of his bone-crushing grip. "This is Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Guys, this is Akiba."

That got his attention. Akiba took a step toward them, his dark eyes narrowing so much that they almost looked closed. His arms were crossed over his chest condescendingly. The boys took a step backwards; Sora's Adam's apple had bobbed up and down as he swallowed large gulps. The brunet's eyes were wide compared to Akiba's narrowed ones. It made me sigh.

Breaking the serious mood, Akiba smiled, and jutted his hand out. "I remember you guys! Nice to see you again."

Sora shook it nervously. "Uh, you, too . . . sir."

Akiba moved on to shaking Donald's and Goofy's hand. He had shook Donald's so hard that the poor duck's whole body shook. It was a funny sight to see them scared of one of the sweetest men in the world.

It was even better to see the woman who surfaced from the back of the store. The metallic silver eyes were hard to miss. I smiled, walking over to engulf the woman in a hug. Unlike her husband, she was the same height as me. Her frame was small and dainty—a contrast that they didn't like pointing out.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Sora watching us. His brows were pulled low as if he was thinking something over in his ever-running mind. It must have been puzzling judging by the look on his face . . . whatever it was.

"You guys remember Yue, right?" I asked them.

Donald nodded. "Pleasure to see you again, ma'am."

"This is Sora, Donald, and Goofy."

Yue's gaze traveled up and down Sora's body. I could practically feel my face grow paler.

I had spent a good portion of my time here at the shop since I ran into Akiba weeks ago. They had always filled the store with conversation—most of which was centered around my life. Yue had a thing about wanting to know everything about me. That included me giving details about the brunet standing in front of us. She had heard stories about our childhood, about our friendship, about how close we were, and eventually . . . about our date. It was the reason why she was eyeing him like he was one of the seven wonders of the world.

Finally, she nodded in approval, and gave me a thumbs up. _"He's cute,"_ she mouthed. I swore I could have died right then and there.

One of the last things that I needed was for Sora to find out I had been blabbing about my feelings for him to the woman. Not that he probably would have cared. He didn't seem like the type to mind. But, it would have been embarrassing for him to find out.

"So, what brings you guys here?" Akiba asked.

"I'm leaving," I answered. "I came to say goodbye to you guys. I'll be back in a while for sure, but I thought it'd still be rude for me to up and leave without saying anything."

"Be careful out there, Sweetie." Yue brought me in for another sappy hug—something that she didn't usually do—and sent Sora a sly smirk. "You take care of her, Sora."

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Always have, ma'am."

* * *

 **"HEY, ARE YOU** tired?"

My eyes fluttered open at the sound of the voice. My forehead had been pressed against the cool glass of the Gummi Ship's window. The darkness of space had done well to set the sleepy vibe; the dark colours and quietness were a great combination. The swirls of purples, blues, and greens had lulled me too far out of my consciousness. Far enough to induce sleep. I had been totally oblivious to the way my body had slumped in the corner of the backseat.

I sat up up groggily. My arms stretched out in front of me, cracking noises filling the quiet from the action. A muffled yawn blew passed my lip. It could have been taken as a sign of being tired, but to me, it was a sign of peace. It was hard for me to fall asleep in Hollow Bastion sometimes due to my running thoughts. Here, in space for a total of twenty minutes, I had managed to nod off into a state of tranquility. It was something that I couldn't explain. It was grateful for it, though.

Goosebumps prickled at my arms. My outfit was doing little to protect me from the low temperatures of the dark abyss. I had nearly forgotten just how cold it got out here. Six weeks ago, it was something that I was used to, and it didn't bother me. Not that I was adjusted to the warm air of Hollow Bastion, this was a practical frozen hell.

My eyes searched through the darkness of the ship for who the voice had came from. They came in contact with blue ones almost immediately. Sora sat on the other end of the backseat with the blanket we kept thrown around his shoulders. Just enough to cover his arms and nothing else. He eyes me with a single brow raised. It sent my body into a fit of small shivers. He chuckled.

He didn't say anything. It was a simple motion that of his head that beckoned me over. He was telling me to come close to him. It wasn't like the backseat of the Gummi Ship was large. It was big enough to leave a bit of space between the two of us if we so wished. I guessed he didn't wish for it anymore.

I scooted to his end of the backseat, figuring that he was going to ask or tell me something. He didn't. Instead, he threw the blanket over me, trapping me inside the warmness that his body heat had created. His heat made my face heat up. He was sharing the blanket with me; I was close enough to feel his arm brush against my upon every breath we took. It wouldn't have been the first time that we had done that in our year of adventuring. Hell, he and I used to share beds throughout our childhood. But, it was different. It didn't feel so kiddish to be this close to him anymore.

It was exactly what I was afraid of.

I wasn't stupid. I knew that attraction changed the way a person thought. I had just expected things to stay the same with him. It didn't take long to find out that it couldn't . . . in a way. What had I thought?

There was no way that I could . . . _be_ with Sora, and not _be_ with him at the same time. If that made any sense. There was no way that I could be this close to him and not think about my breath hitching. It was because his image had changed in my eyes. He was still my best friend, but he was the best friend that I had given my first kiss to. There was no going back from that.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I looked away from his direction to avoid my blush being spotted. It was something that I was going to have to learn how to control. He had already pointed out that I had been doing it a lot in his presence. It would be even worse if he seen that I was doing it now. Nonetheless, I nodded to show him that I was fine.

He let out a disbelieving snort, but dropped it. I was thankful for it. Now wasn't a good time to go into something like that. He had promised me that our original relationship wouldn't change even if we did. That should have been reassuring enough for me. Now wasn't a good time to think about it. More importantly, when Donald and Goofy were here.

I looked to the front seat once my blush went away. "What have you guys been up to?"

Donald turned around in his spot in the passenger's seat. "What do you mean?"

"Like worlds and stuff," I clarified. "See anything new out there?"

"Not really. We've been caught up with the pirates again this whole time." Donald sighed.

"We locked the Keyhole," Goofy piped from the driver's seat.

Sora's knee brushed against mine. "What about you?"

"Same thing. Nothing really interesting happened," I answered. "I've just been cleaning and roaming Hollow Bastion. After you guys left the second time, I started hanging around Yue and Akiba's shop to help out. That's about it. Oh, and I found out that I can still play blitzball."

Sora smirked. "Somewhere, Wakka just cringed."

"Oh, be quiet." I chuckled. "I said I _can play_ , I didn't say that I was good. It's too aggressive a sport for me."

Goofy seemed surprised through the rear view mirror. "You played blitzball with a cast?"

I nodded. "Caught up with me later."

That made Goofy laugh. I smiled at the sound of it. My body temperature was finally rising up to something tolerable. The blanket was keeping Sora's heat surrounded around me. Good. He had aways been a lot warmer than I was.

"I was thinking we could go back to Agrabah," Donald said. "We could check on Aladdin and the princess."

I smiled at the image of warm air. "How long would it take us to get there?"

"Maybe a few hours?"

I flashed a thumbs up. "A few hours it is, then."

* * *

 **THE WEATHER WAS** just as I had anticipated. The Gummi Ship doors opened to reveal the golden hills of sand and bursts of hot air blowing about. Nothing other than sand dunes, blue skies, and the beaming sun made up the scenery. There wasn't an ounce of water in sight, either. There was no oasis in the area. It didn't shock me. The city that inhabited this place was basically in the middle of nowhere.

At least it wasn't cold.

I stretched my arms high above my head after climbing out of the ship. Birds squawked in the sky as they flew in organized formations. It was the first time that I recalled seeing birds out here so casually. Anyone would have thought that they'd have fled in search of water. That must have meant that a source was closer than I thought.

Goofy's shoes crunched on the sand beside me. He had a hand raised over his eyes to shield them from the bright sun The same thing went for Donald and Sora, who had squinted their eyes to block out the light. It didn't help that the rays were shining off of the sand. It gave off the blinding illusion of flashing gold. If that wasn't enough to make someone's eyes hurt, I didn't know what was.

Donald gazed around the area, saying a quick, "Doesn't look like this place changed."

Was it supposed to? There was nothing _to_ change. Sand dunes weren't just going to up and disappear into thin air. The city of Agrabah wasn't going to mold into something new. That in itself was a blessing.

The front entrance of the city was no more than a foot away. It say within tan-coloured walls to separate it from the endless desert. Like-coloured buildings rose high enough to match the walls' height. From where we stood, I could make out the intricate shapes of windows. They had a tendency to come together to create a pointy connection at the top. It was stunning. Blankets and fabrics of bright patterns hung around on both display and shade from the sun. Yet, there was no one in sight.

Sora had took the first step. He marched over to the city entrance with us trailing behind him in fear of something jumping out at us. It was what happened the last time we were here. The Heartless had attacked us when we least expected it. They liked to disguise themselves as ordinary objects in this world—such as the beautiful pieces of pottery that aligned the paths we walked down. Those surely could have been Heartless.

I thought there would have been merchants around. This city had a real capacity for them. They huddled in shops to sell their desert findings for high prices. Accompanied by creepy smiles, camels, and long, skinny beards, they made it livelier around here than it needed to be. But, there were none. There wasn't _anyone_ around. The houses and shops looked empty. There weren't noises other than the sound of sand underneath our feet. It didn't make any sense.

"Well, at least we made it." Donald sighed.

Goofy scratched behind his ear curiously. "Gawrsh, I wonder how Aladdin and Jasmine are doin'."

"Hey, maybe Riku's with them," Sora suggested.

"Yeah, and the King!"

My eyes narrowed at a large pot sitting by the wall of a building. It was bigger than the other ones that we had came across. Big enough to harbour a monster. I was on high defense as we walked passed it, but it didn't do anything. It was a normal pot. A sigh of relief escaped my lips.

"Keep dreamin' you two." Donald rolled his eyes.

Sora playfully rolled his eyes right back. "C'mon, Donald. You were thinking the same thing."

"No I was not."

Their arguing was somewhat comedic. It was good to know that they didn't change over our time apart. They looked closer if anything . . . like they had a bonding moment during my absence. The two of them walked a bit ahead of the group, too wrapped up in their own conversation to notice that Goofy and I were lagging behind. Sora had said something to Donald. It must have been something irritating because the duck pointed at and began to shout. Sora just laughed. _Yup, they had definitely grown closer._

Goofy's long strides came to a stop after a few more seconds of their bickering. He didn't let anyone else know of his actions. It was only me who had seen it; my elbow nudged him to say that we should hurry up. His pause was understandable, though, for his dark eyes were following the red bird that flew around in front of him.

The crimson and blue feathers . . . the giant, orange beak . . . everything about it was a dead giveaway to who it was. How could I forget about him? I felt my lips pull into a small frown as the bird flocked around the two of us. _What in the world did it want?_

"Aren't you . . . uh . . ." I trailed off, attempting to remember his name.

"It's Iago!" Goofy finished for me.

Yes. Iago. He was the red pet of the main villain of Agrabah. He had acted along with the dark side the last time we had crossed paths. And at the sound of his name being said, his eyes went wide. Even he could make out the sourness in our expressions.

Sora and Donald turned around to see what was going on. They had already been a ways away from their walking. Despite that, they still summoned their weapons no matter how far they were.

The flashing light of Sora's returning Keyblade made Iago squint. He nearly panicked when he laid eyes on the Kingdom Key. His wings flapped over to them in a blur of red, making scared little noises that were strange coming from him. _He was a bad guy. What did he have to be scared of?_

"Wait!" he cried. "You got me all wrong!"

Donald pointed his magic staff at the bird. "You're Iago all right."

"No! I mean, it's not the old me! I turned over a new feather! I'm legit! No more scams, promise!"

The two boys summoned their weapons away with a round of sighs. Goofy and I made our way over to where the three of them were talking. Iago was spitting nonsense again. The last time we had seen him, he had helped raise hell for our friends. Now he was claiming to be a good person. It was something that I highly doubted.

Sora crossed his arms over his chest. "I bet that's your new scam."

"Ya gotta believe me!"

Donald looked annoyed. "Guys, let's go—"

"I was stuck inside that lamp with Jafar. Remember?" Iago's voice sounded so desperate that it was almost convincing. "Well, I finally escaped. But, then some things happened, and . . ."

"So you're free as a bird, huh?" Sora joked, dryly.

I giggled at his joke; it was so corny. Iago looked at us horrified as if we had just shattered his dreams. He must have been wondering how we could poke fun at his predicament. But, he had to consider what he had done to everyone in the past. It was going to take more than a sob story to fix that.

I sent him a wave. "Have fun."

"Gawrsh, guys. He looks pretty sad," Goofy murmured.

Sora, Donald, and I shared a look. The bird already had Goofy falling for his bull. It was only moments ago had Goofy been on our side. His sense of empathy had cast him away from seeing the truth.

"I wanna apologize to Aladdin and Jasmine," Iago said. "Could you guys maybe put in a good word for me?"

"Sure. We can do that, can't we?" Goofy looked over at us with those big puppy dog eyes, and I found my resolve crumbling.

Goofy could get anything he wanted with that look. The way his ears flopped and his nose twitched—he was a real life dog, after all. My frown dissolved into a look of awe. Iago may have been a bad person, but Goofy wasn't, and I couldn't stand to say no to him. I'd stick up for him until the day we part.

Giving in, I glanced over at Sora with pleading eyes. "Okay, I know it sounds bad, but we can trust Goofy. If he says it's okay, it should be fine. C'mon, Sora—"

He instantly shook his head. "No way."

"But—"

"Did you forget who he is?"

"Please?" I tried, lamely.

He stared at me for what felt like a full minute before he sighed. "Fine, Iago, but you'll have to win over Aladdin and Jasmine yourself. Be on your best behaviour, got it?"

"Thank you, Sora." I grinned.

He quickly looked away. "Yeah, yeah."

"Yeah, I got it." Iago proceeded to thank Goofy and I for helping him out. "Where _is_ Aladdin, anyway? I betcha he's at the palace."

"Let's go, then," I suggested.

Donald mumbled something about Sora being weak, which earned him a shove from the teenager. I paid no mind to it. It wouldn't have been the first time they were rough for no reason.

This city was bigger than I remembered it being. The top of the palace could be seen in the distance beyond the sea of buildings. How we were going to get over there, I did not know.

Iago said that he was going to lead the way. We didn't have any other options unless we wanted to be lost in the sun for hours. So, he flew ahead, and we followed him through the twists and turns of the city's paths.

There were people out. The deeper we went in, the more citizens seemed to be out and about. They walked around with headscarves and hats. Their clothes were more adapted to the climate, consisting of looser pants and hardly shirts for the men, and flowing dresses for the women. Children preferred to stay in the shade as they played . . . if they were outside at all. I guessed that today must have been hotter than usual. It was probably the reason why it was so quiet around.

Store owners had made it their mission to take advantage of that. They sold cooling refreshments for prices higher than what they should have been. Yet, people still bought them, oblivious to the scamming smirks on the sellers' faces while they walked away. I had glared at one man who attempted sweet talking me into buying a drink and a camel as we walked by. _Damn merchants, they're here after all._

They were relentless. If one of them talked to you, they were all going to swarm at you looking to get off on your wallet, too. My rejection of that man was seen as an invitation to others. It was then did every other step include "hey, young miss, come over," and sayings of the like. At some point, I had to walk with my head down to avoid their attention. My hair fell around my face to hide it. It worked. Most of them stopped bothering me after that.

The palace was more toward the heart of the city. It reigned tall in palettes of whites, dusty reds, and golds. The structure of it was more pillar-shaped than the average building. It was made up entirely of white pillars connecting to make one palace. Red patterns designed those pillars to stand out, and at the top of them, gold dome-like pieces made the roofs. It was great architecture—I had to admit. However, if there was one complaint to be made, it was about the long flight of stairs leading to the front doors.

There must have been fifty or so steps. Usually, it wouldn't have been a problem with my stamina, but the sun was making it more difficult than it had to be. It made me wonder how they got anything done on days like this. And here I was, wishing for warmer weather. The cold air in the passageways turned out to be way more tolerable than this.

It took perhaps a total of ten minutes to walk up the stairs by itself. By the time we got up there, my breath was coming out in strangled pants. I rested my hands on my knees to focus on getting my breathing back to normal. Of course, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were un-bothered by it. _So why was it so hard for me?_

The sight of long, black hair brought me out of my self-loathing. Light blue, loose bottoms and a matching cropped top—it was the princess all right. She had her back to us as she faced the palace doors in thought. The royal headband on her head sparkled in the sunlight. Her thick, black brows were knitted together, and her red lipstick-covered lips were pulled into a straight line. All this time since I had laid eyes on her and she was still breathtaking each time.

She turned toward us when Sora called out her name. Her big, gold earrings dangled on either side of her face; her smile was bright enough to light up a room. Her brown eyes gazed over at us in both shock and wonder. Then, she beamed.

"Sora, Donald, Sasuke, Goofy!" she greeted.

"Your majesty."

The boys bent at the waist to bow down to her. I didn't need to. I was already doubled over in the position of an awkward respect. In fact, I accidentally let out a loud wheeze. She just giggled at us. Or, most likely, she was giggling at how out of shape I had become after my long break.

"I never had the chance to thank you for last time." Her voice was soft and smooth. "You helped Aladdin defeat that awful Jafar and saved Agrabah."

Sora linked his arms together behind his head. "All in a day's work. But, uh . . . it looks like the Heartless are up to no good again. Is there any way we could help you out?"

I was fully aware of Iago hiding behind Goofy's back. He was afraid that Jasmine would freak out at the sight of him like we had. It was a smart move, in all honesty. I wouldn't have held it against her if she threw the nearest object at the bird. I stood up straight, suddenly fearing the outcome of this situation.

"I think we're all right for now," Jasmine replied.

"And ya always got Aladdin," Goofy pointed out.

Jasmin's face darkened. Her smile had slipped from her lips. It was replaced with a saddened frown. If there was a sign that things had changed between the two of them, it couldn't have been any bigger than that.

"He . . . hasn't been himself lately," she said, quietly.

"You guys didn't break up, did you?" I panicked.

The corners of her lips turned up a little bit. "No, silly."

Donald's eyes darted around the area. "Huh? Is it because of the Heartless?"

"I'm not sure." Jasmine shook her head. "Usually, he's the same cheerful Aladdin. But, sometimes . . . he just seems sad. He leaves the palace and goes off by himself all the time. I've asked him about it, but he says nothing's wrong. He's gone again today. What if he doesn't come back this time?"

Before any of us could say anything, Iago flew out from his spot behind Goofy's back. "Hey, maybe he's got a secret girlfriend! Have you thought about him cheating on you? I know! I'll go find out who she is!"

"Jeez . . ." I sighed.

Jasmine jumped when he flew around us in a circle. Her previous saddened expression had molded into one of anger. She clearly didn't take to kindly to the idea of the bird being here. She attempted to grab him out of the air, but he was too fast. He was panicking.

She snapped at the bird, "Why are you here? Quick, Sora, grab him! I'll warn the guards and everyone in the palace!"

Iago landed on my shoulder in fear, and Sora looked nervous. "That's the thing—Iago's not . . ."

His words never got to reach her. She had turned around on the heels of her gold shoes, and bolted into the palace. She was gone so fast that it was hard to tell she was once even there. And as the door slammed shut behind her, we let out a round of groans, glaring at the bird perched on my shoulder. He had just blown his only chance at forgiveness. He had also brought her into a state of panic.

"Nice going, Iago," Sora quipped, sarcastically.

"Maybe it was something he said?" Goofy wondered.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Oh, yeah, because _every_ girl wants to hear that her boyfriend is _cheating_ on her. Not only did you scare her half to death, but you might have just made her suspicious of Aladdin."

Iago hung his head in shame. I knew that he hadn't meant for it to turn out this way, but he had done it nonetheless. He was going to have to deal with the consequences for it. Especially not that Jasmine was going to put the palace on high alert for no reason.

Goofy scratched behind his floppy ear. "Gee, maybe we should go talk to Aladdin. He's gotta be somewhere in town, right?"

"Good idea," Sora agreed. "I wonder what he's been doing."

"Probably cheating."

I sent Iago a glare. "Will you stop with that?"

With a plan all figured out, we headed down the stairs again. It was much easier going down them than it was coming up. I skipped down the steps being careful not to slip up and fall down. It had taken us around ten minutes to walk up—mainly me—and it took us about six or seven to walk down. It was a good thing. I didn't feel like doubling over when we had a job to do.

I had considered going over to one of those merchants to buy a hat. It would be a good protector against the sun's rays. There was hardly anyone walking around without one. Did I really want to spend my money on one, though? One glance at the merchant selling items at the bottom of the palace steps had me second guessing. Why buy a hat when I was only going to use it in this world?

Sora had been leading us in our search for Aladdin. He _was_ the unofficial leader. It came with the title of being the Keyblade Bearer, I supposed; we followed him rather than the other way around. He came to a sudden stop upon the sounds of people shouting ringing through the air. I almost tripped by how fast he had halted. Glancing around to find out what was going on, I laid eyes on a small, brown monkey, running through the city pathways with an item in his hand. I only knew one monkey in Agrabah . . .

"Stop, thief!" a merchant cried after the monkey.

A blur of white and purple raced passed us. It was going in the same direction as the monkey. My eyes squinted to get a better look at the blur, seeing the small, red hat and locks of unruly, black hair. It was a person. A man, to be specific. They sent a wave our way as they ran, smiling a smile that was as dazzling as the golden sand beneath our feet.

The person turned a corner to get away, and shouted, "Hey, guys!"

"Come back here!" The merchant chased after him.

It was easy to see who the person was. It was Aladdin. He didn't seem nearly as down as Jasmine described him as being. I had half expected to find him in waddled up in some alley kicking rocks around. It wasn't the case. He was out running around through the city, and I couldn't help but to smile. It was good to see that not many things had changed around here. He was still his active self.

No words had to be exchanged. We broke into a sprint after them, racing down the corners the three of them had disappeared down. If he was being hunted down by a seething merchant, something must have gone on a while ago. We were going to find out.

The corned led to a dead end. The merchant had the two of them backed up against the wall. They were hanging their heads in defeat while the merchant scolded them something nasty. It was funny with the dramatic height difference.

"If you can't control that fur ball, put a leash on him," the merchant snapped.

"Look, I'm sorry," Aladdin tried, looking down at the small animal beside him. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Abu."

The monkey let out a few noises in protest. Aladdin didn't want to hear any of it. He plucked the black lamp out of Abu's hands to return it to the merchant.

"No hard feelings?"

The merchant snatched it from him with a scoff. He didn't say anything as he turned and stormed out of the area. He almost crashed into Donald from how little he had been paying attention to us. Donald exclaimed warnings about how he needed to watch where he was going. The sound of his snarky voice gained the attention from both Aladdin and Abu. It was only a matter of seconds until Abu took off running toward us.

I bent down with open arms. The monkey was always a sight for sore eyes. He was a good animal despite his greedy tendencies. He jumped into my arms with enough force to knock me over. It surprised me since he was so small. I laughed, petting his head as he gripped onto me in a hug.

Aladdin walked over, scratching his head. "Oh, hey, guys. Sorry about earlier. I was kinda in a hurry."

"What happened?" Sora asked.

"You know Abu. He couldn't keep his paws off that lamp."

Abu started squeaking in my hold. He waved his arms around, shaking his head like to say something was wrong. I furrowed my brows at the brown creature. _What was he trying to say?_

Aladdin wiggled a finger at him. "No talking your way our of this one!"

Sora chuckled. "I guess you can't be _that_ down in the dumps, huh?"

"Who said I was?" Aladdin's brows knitted together in confusion.

"Princess Jasmine," Goofy answered. "She's worried 'cause you're always in town."

"Got a new girlfriend?" Donald questioned, and I sent him the same look I had given Iago.

Aladdin instantly shook his head. "No way! Still . . . I guess there's no foolin' Jasmine, huh? See, Genie and Carpet took off to see the world. That's what Genie always wanted, so I wished him the best and all, but . . ."

I felt my expression soften. "You miss him."

Sora let out a breath. "Man, things must be really quiet with Genie gone."

"Yeah. That's why I come here," Aladdin explained. "The action—the people. There's always something goin' on. I mean, c'mon! I met you guys here today, right? This place is full of surprises."

"Uh, Sora . . ."

It was Goofy who had spoke. We gazed over at him to find him facing the other direction. A strange expression was fitted across his usually happy face. He had been facing Iago. The red bird was on the ground, his eyes trained on something in the distance as he trembled. It should have taken a lot to scare the bird. It made me wonder why he was shaking now out of nowhere.

Aladdin glared at him. "Iago?!"

"Oh, right . . ." I stared, setting Abu down. "He wants to apologize for all the trouble he caused."\

"Oh, he does?" Aladdin didn't look to convinced.

Iago shook his head and pointed his feathers in the direction the angry merchant had stomped off to. "T-t-t-that l-l-lamp!"

Aladdin raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"It was _the_ lamp!"

The lamp. I didn't know for sure, but I had a sort of idea which one he was talking about. After our fight with Jafar, the evil man had been sealed inside a black lamp to suffer the same fate that Genie once did. He was bounded to it. We were sure that it was nowhere to be found after all of that happened. Yet, just like Iago was claiming, the merchant had one that looked just like it.

"C'mon, there's a million like it," Aladdin reasoned.

"Hey! I was locked in that thing _for months_!" Iago practically screamed. "There's no way I'd mistake it!"

Beside me, Abu stomped his feet in agreement. That must have been why he stole it in the first place. He stole it because he knew the power that it held inside of it. It brought a frown onto my face. If that was Jafar's lamp, we had just let someone walk away with it. Who knew what would happen if he got released from it? _A repeat of last time, that's what._

Aladdin's tone changed into an urgent one. "Then we'd better go back and talk to that peddler."

He led the way back to where the merchant was supposed to be setting up shop. He knew his way around the city a lot better than we did. Seeing as how he was born on the streets, and raised in the city's outskirts, he should have. There wasn't a time where he had gotten lost guiding us around the many corners and turns.

Even Iago himself didn't recall knowing where the shop was. He was from this world, too, and he couldn't remember meeting the merchant man at all. He said that he must have been new to Agrabah. I doubted it. His twisty beard and blue clothing were things that I could imagine seeing often. Either the man was always out searching the desert for treasure, or Iago had spent too much of his time serving Jafar to remember.

Tan-bricked structures created maze-like streets. Some of the buildings had holes busted into them, debris and construction items lying around them as if they were to be fixed. Wooden crates decorated most of the shopping areas. Along with the intricately carved pots, they blocked off most of the areas that were far beyond repair. It was unknown to me why they had yet to do anything about them.

We approached a specific hole in the wall of one of the buildings. This one was a lot less dangerous-looking. A burgundy curtain blocked the entrance to keep out the light, and to ward off strange people. It had to be the shop of the merchant. Merchants had a habit of picking the most random places to call theirs.

Aladdin pulled the curtain back so that we could enter first. I walked in behind Goofy and Abu, saying a quick thank you to the older boy. He brushed me off with a smile. It was good to know chivalry wasn't dead with all males.

The inside of the store was more on the darker side. The curtain did indeed block out most of the light. Jewels and pottery scattered the shop on displays with written prices. There were a few cracks in the walls from the aging building. Nothing too serious. I doubted this place was anything harmful . . . unless you counted the damage the prices were going to do to ones' wallet.

The merchant stood at the center of the room. His dark eyes almost narrowed at the sight of all of us. We _had_ just ran into him on unfortunate circumstances. All of us had either stole from him, or been friends of the ones who stole from him. Of course he would have been a little wary of us. He still offered us a small smile, though, most likely hoping that we came with cash this time.

Sora smiled politely at the man. "Is there any way we can buy that lamp from you?"

"Of course." The man nodded at the word _buy_. "That is . . . _if_ you can afford it."

I glanced over at the boys. He was going to say he wanted some ridiculous price now that he knew we wanted it. Behind us, Aladdin motioned with his hand for us to come over. I was the only one who had picked up on it. The boys were focused on the conversation with the merchant. So, I looked over at them one more time before making my way over to the boy.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

Over where everyone stood, I could hear Donald say, "No worries. We can pay you in royal treasu—"

"Donald!" Sora snapped, cutting him off.

Aladdin and I watched as the merchant's smile grew into an evil smirk. Now that he thought we could get royal treasure, he was going to raise the price of it through the roof. It probably would have just costed an arm if Donald hadn't said anything. Now it was going to cost both an arm and a leg. We all groaned out in irritation.

"Well, nothing now," Aladdin answered my question from earlier.

"Might I be able to interest you in another fine lamp?" the merchant offered.

Sora shook his head, his voice falling monotone. "No, that's the one we need."

The merchant smirked. "Ah, well—perhaps I can be persuaded . . . _if_ you bring me a treasure beyong even my imagination. Something, say . . . fit for a sultan."

 _Damn it, what now?_

Sora agreed to come back later, and the seven of us left the small shop. Irritated, defeated, and puzzled auras radiated off of our bodies. The merchant wanted something in exchange for Jafar's lamp. _If_ that was even his lamp at all. Would it have been too difficult for him to raise the cash price on it instead?

"Treasure?" Aladdin sucked in a breath. "That could be tricky . . ."

Donald raised a brow. "There's a lot at the palace."

"But it's not mine to take, and I can't ask. I don't want to worry Jasmine or the Sultan," he explained.

That was true. Aladdin may have been the princess' boyfriend, but he wasn't royalty in the slightest. He couldn't exactly waltz in there demanding the finest things they had to offer. Even if he did—which there was a chance that he could—he'd have to have a reason for it. Telling them that we'd found Jafar's lamp would freak them out. It would send the whole city into lock down. That wasn't a pleasant thought.

Iago flapped his wings in excitement. "Hey, I know! What about the treasure in the Cave of Wonders?"

The Cave of Wonders? He was referring to the cave shaped like a tiger's head in the middle of the desert. The one that we had nearly lost our lives in the last time. It contained piles and piles of riches and silks of high degree. Though, if they were disturbed, the cave would have a meltdown, not liking its things being touched. If we were going to take something out of there, we were going to have to be careful and fast. At that, Donald and I exchanged nervous glances.

"All right, Iago. You lead the way," Aladdin agreed. "and after we get the treasure, I might even believe your apology."

Iago beamed. "You can count on me."

I let out a sigh. It looked like we were going to have to risk our lives for a few jewels yet again. Plus, without Carpet here, we were going to be walking in the hot desert for who knew how long. Lovely. The sooner we started, the faster we'd get there.

* * *

 **THE SKY SWIRLED** in shades of blues, grays, and purples. The gleaming sun had been hidden behind the set of ominous clouds hanging overhead. It blocked out all of the light that once coated the desert planes. The air was cooler, the sand didn't shine anymore, and the dunes took on more of the shapes of mountains. It was the opposite of the scenery we saw in Agrabah.

In the center of the area sat what we were looking for. A tiger's head seemingly carved out of rock rested with its mouth open. It gave view to the gold lights within its jaws. The Cave of Wonders. It was the very place that held riches beyond one's wildest imagination. There were no limits to the amount of treasure inside for those brave enough to venture beyond its carved fangs.

I stopped a foot away from the entrance. It looked a lot bigger than what I remembered. From where I stood, I could just about make out the red glow that took place inside. It was welcoming, yet warning at the same time. The Cave of Wonders was one of the most dangerous places this world had to explore.

Iago flew above our heads to get a better look at the tiger's head. "This is it."

We didn't say anything. With a nod, we started our way into the cave, and down the set of stairs it led to. The red glow had faced to a soft blue the farther down we went. It gave a sort of preview to the room that was waiting at the bottom of the steps.

I took the last step with a small leap. The room was built to resemble a waterfall in a way. The ground was covered in shallow puddles of water. The walls were nothing but waterfalls themselves. However, instead of the water falling, it was in reverse, the liquid rising up to the ceiling. At the far end of the room sat a golden statue of a grinning man. It was the most normal thing in the long room. Aside from the reverse waterfalls, the thing that stood out the most was the glowing, diamond-shaped, red jewel floating in the middle of the room.

Abu, Donald, Sora, and Aladdin stayed behind to observe the floating jewel. It was awfully suspicious to be suspended in the middle of the room like that for someone to take. It was almost like a set up. I didn't want to take any chances.

Goofy and I made our way of to the statue to look it over. It was nothing more than an evil-looking man with his arms crossed over his rounded belly. Its eyes were gold and narrowed into a sneer. One would have thought it to be angry had it not been for the peacefulness of the room. At the bottom of the stature was a small hole. There was nothing in it. It was diamond-shaped and empty.

My eyes trailed over to the jewel floating behind us. There was a chance that the jewel belonged to this statue. But, it could also be another trap. It was a smart idea not to toy with any of them.

I opened my mouth to tell the boys to get away from it. I never got the chance to. Abu had breathen me to it, jumping up and snatching the jewel in his arms. I should have saw it coming. Whenever something shiny was in front of the monkey's eyes, he was bound to steal it for his own. In this case, as soon as he landed on the ground, the room began to shake under our feet.

I almost collapsed by how hard the room had been shaking. The waterfalls on either side of the room came to a halt. They disappeared to reveal countless golden statues of glaring warriors. A piece of marble fell from the ceiling to block the exit out of the cave. Oh, we had done it, all right. We had only been in here for a total of five minutes and we had already managed to piss the cave off.

Shards of ice fell out from the ceiling. One of the pieces had drifted directly above Abu. He let out a screech of fear. Running over to him, I scooped him and the jewel up, dodging the falling ice that clearly had it out for him. At that moment, the puddles beneath our feet began to stir. It bounded together to form a tidal wave coming for us. Abu started to screech again as he clutched onto the jewel and me. We were locked in here, and the cave wanted us done for.

"What do we do?" Goofy asked.

I dodged another piece of falling ice. "There's a hole in the statue shaped like the jewel. Maybe we should try putting it in."

Sora nodded. "Help Sasuke and Abu get over there!"

We all gave a nod in understanding. Gripping onto Abu tighter, I ran through the room with the boys following after me. Donald shot out a burst of fire at the block of ice that threatened to fall onto my head. Another big wave sought after us. Aladdin linked his hands together, and I used them to jump over the practical water wall. It wasn't the most graceful landing that I had ever done. But, I wasted no time breaking off into a run again.

My body twisted out of the way to avoid another piece of falling ice. The statue was no more than a foot away A wave traveled through the room, and this time, Goofy was the one to help. He didn't like his hands together like Aladdin had. Rather, he put his hands on my waist, lifting me up like I was a piece of paper, and dropped me on the other side of the wave before it could carry him away. My eyebrows raised. I knew that Goofy was the strongest, but I hadn't expected for him to be _that_ strong.

Abu jumped out of my arms when we got close enough to the statue. He raised the jewel high above his head before slamming it down into the hole. And almost immediately, the waves and the ice stopped. The exit was no longer blocked by the slab of marble. The statue had faded away like it was never there in the first place. It revealed the pathway to the next room. I let out a heavy breath. _Jeez, it's already begun._

The boys walked over to us now that the coast was clear. Sora squatted down to Abu's height and held out his hand for a high five. The monkey made noises of appreciation. He slapped his small hand against the teenager's, both of them grinning widely.

"You guys okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Doing pretty good."

He looked up at me. He had sucked in his bottom lip to chew on it, the corners of his mouth tilting upward as he stood to his full height. It was an action that had not gone unnoticed. _There was nothing better than when he bit his lip_ , I thought. Even in times like this, he managed to be appealing.

I mentally kicked myself. _What are you doing? Now's not the time for this. You're acting delusional._

Donald gazed at the new pathway. "Further in we go."

Further into this booby-trapped cave. Abu climbed up on my shoulder once we started to walk again. He had taken a liking to being around me, I supposed. Especially since I had saved him minutes ago. Not that I was going to complain. The furry companion was adorable, and I felt honoured that he would enjoy my company. I sure as hell was enjoying his.

The next room wasn't as suspicious, but it _was_ at the same time. It was larger than the last. The walls were a bright burgundy colour with matching ceilings and drapes hanging around the length of it. Heaps upon heaps of golden coins, pottery, and jewelry littered the room. So much that it was almost hard to see the tiled flooring. They sparkled in ways that the sand of Agrabah couldn't even do. A long carpet with various colours spread from where we stood all the way down to the end of the room. It created a path of some sorts. A path passed all of the gold.

Abu tightened his grip on my shoulder. I could tell that he was trying to keep his calm. For a sticky-fingered animal like him, this room was a gold mine. Literally. He could steal to his heart's content in here if it wouldn't cause a problem for us. I was thankful that he didn't go ballistic. We had made it too far to screw up now.

At the end of the room sat a small flight of stairs. Maybe it was four or five steps—nothing more. It was what was at the top of them that caught our attention. It was a golden trophy. It stood about a foot tall on top of a brown pedestal. It sparkled more than anything else in the room, adorning different coloured jewels in the swirls and shapes of it. It had to be the most expensive thing in the room.

Aladdin smirked at it. "There. That should do it."

"Are you sure?" I raised a hand to scratch behind Abu's ear for being a good boy. "Suspiciously placed treasures seem to lead to trouble."

"It's nothing we can't handle." The boy chuckled.

 _Well, if he said so . . ._

Donald rushed up the small flight of steps. The trophy was around the same size as him. No doubt it would be heavy. If something jumped out at us after we move it, it might have been complicated to hold on to. Then again, it was probably just my nerves that was making me think that way. I was nervous about the things to come. The boys could reassure me all they wanted. I knew something was coming.

"Oh, boy. It's perfect! That guy's gonna like this," Donald mused.

Sora linked his arms together behind his head. "Sure looks valuable."

Abu jumped off of my shoulder to go join Donald at the top of the stairs. I didn't think anything of it. My arms moved to cross over my chest as the boys got their own ideas about how this was going to play out. By the looks on their faces, all of them were positive. I really hoped that they were.

"Great! Now let's go get that lamp," Aladdin said. "We gotta keep Jafar bottled up or he's gonna destroy Agrabah!"

I heard someone snickering a bit away from us. My gaze scanned over the area in search of where it had came from. Though, instead, I saw Abu up the flight of stairs, attempting to draw away a small, golden gorilla statue. Donald followed my gaze down to the monkey, too.

He stomped his foot at him. "Stop!"

Abu dropped the little statue and ran away. The duck had scared him half to death with all of his screaming. I wanted to feel bad for him. I couldn't because if he had sneaked off with it, something bad could have happened.

Donald bent down to move it out of the way. However, his whole body froze once his eyes came in contact with the shining treasure. A glassy tint had fitted over his dark gaze. I was almost like he was in a trance.

"Hey, what are you doing? Snap out of it, Donald!" Aladdin warned.

The duck held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry."

Donald was also very greedy. It was something that I learned throughout my adventures with him. He never passed up the offer to gain munny, and he sure as hell didn't like spending it. It reminded me of his uncle. Despite being two very different people, the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. They held more similarities than they liked to let on.

Without warning, the lights around the room began to go out. The once glittering area had slowly started to fade into darkness. Each corner of the room was becoming harder and harder to see until, eventually, it was nothing but black. There was only a small area of light in which we stood. _Was this another booby-trap?_

Abu and Donald ran over to us now that the trophy was no longer visible. They didn't look all too happy about the change in scenery. And, to top it off, black mist began to spawn in the area around us. It was a visual that I could never forget. It was the Heartless.

"Why does this always happen?" Donald sighed.

We moved closer to each other. Our back had faced each other to form a tight circle. They had trapped us in the darkness just like I predicted. I knew something was going to happen if we went after that trophy. It was only a matter of time. Now, we had no other choice but to fight them off.

I called upon my Keyblade to ready myself for battle. The familiar soft grip appeared in my awaiting palm. Its spikes and chains were a shiny metal as if to accentuate its disuse. It felt strange to hold it again after all this time. I could only pray that, unlike my stamina, my ability to use it hadn't faltered.

Donald snickered at my unsure face. "You all right there, Sasuke? Scared you've gotten rusty?"

"Oh, leave me alone." I groaned.

We rushed into the battle, attacking the ice cube-shaped Heartless. Sora, Aladdin, and I used our offensive weapons to slash at every enemy in sight. My attacks were slower—that, I'd admit. They were no longer fast and swift like they had once been. Rather, they were a bit forced. I couldn't be upset because of it. It had been a month and a half since I had any form of exercise other than the occasional blitzball . . . unless you counted scrubbing bathtubs. I was shocked that I had been able to keep up at all.

I dodged one of the Heartless' fists. It was big and round, stomping around the lit area as it swung at anything in sight. Every time I hit at its stomach, my Keyblade bounced off, having done no effect to it. The only way to defeat it was to attack its back. It made it difficult because the Heartless was always stomping around in circles. It made sure not to leave its weak spot easily accessible.

The cluster of Heartless were taken out in a matter of minutes. I looked around to see if the boys needed help in battle. There were five of us fighting, after all. The five of us against a few Heartless was close to nothing.

The last of the monsters disappeared with a burst of darkness. That was all that it took for the lights to come back on. The piles of gold were visible once more. It was the Heartless that had put them out so that they could ambush us. Predictable. I had expected something to prevent us from getting the treasure, but Heartless were the last thing I had in mind.

Sora grabbed onto the trophy, and motioned toward the exit. "Let's go."

"We're going back to the peddler's shop?" I asked.

He nodded. "We don't have time to waste."

* * *

 **THE MERCHANT'S SHOP** was basically empty. His items laid scattered about in expensive displays. All of his valuables had been left unattended to. The only things that was missing was the man himself. He wasn't there to give us that plotting smirk of his. He wasn't even there to see the trophy that Sora had in his hands.

It was too weird. _What gives?_

"Hello?" Aladdin called out.

Nothing. Not even a peep. He may have once been here, but he wasn't there anymore. I internally groaned. This man just loved making things more difficult than they had to be. We could have finished the deal by now if he had stayed put.

"Stop your whining and hand it over!" a familiar voice shouted outside of the shop.

"Oh, no! I'm trading it for treasure. This lamp is going to bring me riches!" Not _that_ voice was recognizable.

We left the shop upon hearing the merchant's high-pitched voice. We were right. It _was_ him. He ran past the area, his short legs speeding and his little hands trying not to drop the black lamp. He was running away from something. I didn't bother asking what—Pete rounded the corner and raced after him. The two of them turned another corner and disappeared into another part of the city. It left us all in shock.

I felt my left eye twitch. "You guys seen Pete, too, right?"

Donald sighed. "Oh, boy . . ."

Aladdin chased after him, and we quickly followed. The merchant's shop wasn't too far from the palace. I hoped that Pete wouldn't cause any ruckus to bring attention to himself. But, I was never that lucky. Just as we turned the corner that they left behind, I caught sight of them sprinting into the palace's courtyard. If the Sultan—or Jasmine, for that matter—caught them, we were all doomed.

The little man tried his best to get away from Pete. He was huffing and puffing from how hard he was attempting. It was fruitless, however. Pete gained some ground against him because of how much bigger he was. His gloved-hand plucked the lamp right out of the man's grasp. We had reached the courtyard as soon as Pete began to run away.

"Thank you!" Pete teased.

The merchant kicked his speed into overdrive. Pete had slowed down now that he had the lamp. He must have been thinking that he was in the clear. He was far from it. The merchant sped up, jumping to snatch it out of Pete's hands, and sprinted away. Pete let out a growl; I let out a whistle. _That guy sure did like money, didn't he?_

"It's mine!" the little man hollered.

Pete chased after him. "Lamp hog!"

"Go away!"

"Gotcha!"

Pete tripped the man. The man hit the ground moments later, and the lamp tumbled onto the sand for anyone to take. That anyone was Pete. He grabbed it, holding it high above his head so that the man couldn't get to it. The man had climbed back up onto his feet. He tried to jump to reach the lamp. It didn't work. He was just too short.

The man tried jumping higher. "No fair!"

"Heh heh, I win!" Pete grinned.

He had been to fixated on the merchant that the lamp had completely slipped from his mind. I gasped in surprised as Iago swooped in out of nowhere, snatching the lamp out of the guy's fingers. He flew away with it in his claws, and Pete let out another frustrated growl. He hadn't been expecting for a bird to steal it from him.

Sora held a thumbs up to the bird. "Nice one, Iago!"

"Way to go!" Aladdin cheered.

"Don't drop it!" Donald warned.

Goofy frowned. "Look behind ya!"

Behind where Iago was flying, Pete and the merchant had broke into a sprint after him. Iago's eyes went wide. He flew away with enough speed to leave behind a gust of sand. He led the two of them toward the wall of the courtyard before he made a sharp left turn. It sent the two of them crashing into the wall since they didn't have enough time to think about it. Though Pete shook it off, the merchant fell to the ground. He was knocked out cold.

Iago wasn't paying attention to where he was going. He was looking backwards, trying to see if his plan had worked. Because of that, he was unaware of the wall he was heading toward. Goofy opened his mouth to shout a warning, but it was too late. The bird smacked into the wall, and collapsed into the sand with the lamp. He, too, was knocked out cold.

Pete picked up the lamp with a triumphant smirk. "Nice try, bird brain. Just wait 'til Jafar's free! He's gonna make one beauty of a Heartless!"

Sora ran forward to stop him, but he didn't get very far. He lost his balance because the ground began to shake. It felt like an earthquake. It was an unlikely chance that it was—those never happened without reason. I felt a shiver go up my spine in fear that Pete had actually released Jafar. That fear was soon replaced with a sigh of relief when a burst of light shot throughout the sky, and our friendly blue man flew down from it. It was him who had caused the earthquake.

"I'm home!" he cried, doing a few tricks in the air.

I smiled up at him and waved my arms. "Genie!"

He was still the same ol' Genie. His skin was as blue as the sky and his body as muscular as a bodybuilder's. He soared around the sky in a flamboyant display that was all his own. It made me excited. He had helped us out of a lot of situations. Boy, was there no better time for him to show up than right now.

"Sasuke, is that you?! It's been _eons_!"

He flew down to the ground and wrapped his thick arms around Pete. I giggled while Pete tried to squirm out of his hold. He had grabbed the wrong person. Yet, he didn't seem to realize that, nudging Pete's cheek happily with his own.

"Sasuke, you little cutie-patootie, you!" He let go of Pete to spin around in the air. "And Al! MY princely little muffin! Cosmic travel can get so lonely without a friend! To think I left you forlorn and Genie-less . . . Oh, the _humanity_! Wait . . . Sasuke, you've been puttin' on weight?"

I blinked twice. "Uh, Genie—"

"Aw, of course, what am I saying? You're a growing young woman after all! Getting bigger and thicker is all apart of puberty!"

I shrunk away as the boys burst out into a fit of laughter. He still thought that it was me who he had grabbed when he hugged Pete. Pete was nearly twice my size. How he had gotten us confused was beyond me.

Genie did a few more flying tricks. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, Al! You're living at the palace now! Even got yourself a pretty girlfriend to boot! I can just picture it . . . Wait, tell me. Am I being a pest? Just a big, blue pest? Aw, who cares! I'm just so glad to see you guys!"

Aladdin took a cautious step forward. "Genie . . ."

That got Genie's attention. He glanced from where he had been tossing Pete around to where we all stood at the entrance of the courtyard. He figuratively paled when he seen that I was standing by Aladdin and not by him.

Pete dizzily waved a fist at the blue man. "I'll teach you to make a fool out of me!"

Genie ignored him. He bolted over to us and picked Aladdin up, swinging him around a few times before hugging him tightly. They looked so glad to have each other back. They were best friends, I reminded myself. I knew how they were feeling. Genie looked over at Sora, Donald, Goofy, and me. His arms brought us all into a group hug. More specifically me, who was squished against his chest.

"Can't breathe," I wheezed out.

He let us go after that. I doubled over, hands on my knees, trying to get back the wind that he had knocked out of me. When he said that he was glad to see us, he sure was glad. Very glad. So glad that my spine had to suffer the consequences of it.

Pete glared at the lot of us. He didn't take to kindly to this whole reunion in front of him. He seemed embarrassed by Genie's comical charades. We all turned to look at him as he pointed an accusing finger at us. _Here we go._

"Time for plan B," he snapped. "I'm finishin' you mugs off right now!"

He slammed his fist into the ground. It forced the ground to shake a bit from the brute strength of it. Upon his gesture, two Heartless sprang out from beneath the sand. He had summoned them to fight us.

They were both designed in similar ways. They were both round-shaped and floating in the air above. The first one was clearly a fire elemental; its clothes were coloured in shades of reds and oranges. A red, tattered cape hung behind it almost heroically. In its hands was an orange staff, a small fireball resting at the tip of it. The second one was an ice elemental; its clothes were adorned in shades of blues, purples, and whites. Much like the first one, its cape was blue and tattered. Its staff, however, was more elegantly crafted. Nothing but a white crystal sat at the tip of it. They were polar opposites, but they were going ot be fighting us together.

Sora summoned his Keyblade and sprang into battle instantly. It was who he was. He wasn't the type of person to waste time on the who, what, and why's. He was focusing on getting it done. It was a leader quality that he had acquired over time, I supposed. A trait that deemed him worthy of holding his Key.

I did the first thing to come to mind. I sent a round of fire at the ice Heartless thinking that it would be its biggest weakness. It was. It cried out in pain when the balls of heat came into contact with its skin. Just in time, too. Sora caught the fire Heartless with his Kingdom Key and threw it across the courtyard. It bounced a few times on the ground before crashing into the ice Heartless. I had to get out of the way so that I wouldn't get hit in the collision.

They broke apart after a moment of confusion. Sora's attack had pissed them off. Suck in a breath, the ice Heartless breathed a bust of wind, leaving ice everywhere its breath touched. That included Aladdin's feet. It stuck him in place to the ground despite how many times he wiggled and thrashed. Donald rushed over and began picking at the ice with his staff. I would have helped, but there wasn't any time for it. It didn't take three people to free him. My attention had to be elsewhere.

I jumped up to join Goofy in attacking the fire monster. It bounced on the ground, leaving spots of molten lave in its wake. I made careful not to touch them. It swung its fiery staff at me, and I bent down to dodge it. Goofy raised his shield to block it. It worked, sending the monster backwards a bit. Since it was off guard, I jumped to grab onto its cape, dragging it back down to the ground with me.

It struggled to get away, but I held on as long as I could. Aladdin, Donald, and Goofy rushed over, raining down attacks on the monster in bursts of speed. Across the courtyard, the ice Heartless was about to blow another icy breath. It never got the chance to. Sora leaped up and shut its mouth with the bottom of his shoe. It was sent sailing backward into the wall. By that time, the Heartless I was holding onto disappeared because of the boys' constant attacks. All that was left was the other one.

Aladdin and Goofy ran to join Sora in the close range combat. Donald and I stayed behind, shooting as many of our fireballs at the monster as we could. It swung its staff at them in a last minute attack. Though, Aladdin caught it, yanking the Heartless forward by its own weapon. When it got close enough, Sora and Goofy dealt their hits. And, in a flash of bright light, it was defeated.

It left behind a trembling, crystallized heart. We willed our weapons away while the heart ascended into the sky. To join Kingdom Hearts, perhaps. That was where hearts went, right? I smiled fondly at that. But, my happiness for that heart was short-lived. Pete stomped over to us with an expression so mean it would have made anyone scared. Well, anyone except for us.

"You!" he shouted, shaking his fist at us. "You've messed with me for the last time! I'm gonna get you yet!"

I had been expecting for him to fight us himself. It was a prediction that never came. Instead, he turned around quickly, darting out of sight empty-handed and upset. We let out collective chuckles. For someone who was supposed to be a bad guy, he sure was childish.

Genie floated over to the lot of us, his big arms wrapping around Aladdin. He swung him around a few times in another hug. Carpet, too, chose to come out at that moment. It swiftly flew around its buddies as if to say hello. Aladdin laughed merrily at the sight of all his friends being back. He had been lonely and bored, he told us. They were what he was really missing in his life.

We stiffened when we heard someone clear their throats. Eyes darted over to the stairs leading up to the front entrance of the palace. There stood Jasmine, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrows raised. We all sucked in a breath. _Busted._

She walked over to where Jafar's lamp had been tossed and forgotten. Her hand reached down to pick it up as she sent us pointed looks. Depending on how long she's been there, she must have gathered that it was _the_ lamp. We all shifted around in our spots. _Double busted._

"I'm guessing this is Jafar's lamp?" she asked, the handle dangling on her index finger.

Aladdin scratched the back of his head. "Uh . . . yes?"

She let out a sigh. The sand crunched beneath her gold shoes upon every step she took closer to him. He appeared almost worried before she dropped the lamp into his hands.

"Well, I'm glad that you guys got it back," she said. "Promise me you'll lock it up somewhere safe this time, Aladdin."

He chuckled. "Sure thing."

Iago was just starting to wake up where he had knocked himself out. He gazed around the area in confusion. That is, until his eyes landed on Jasmine. He flapped his wings to fly over to us, sputtering out words of how she didn't need to call the guards on him. She didn't look to impressed.

I cleared my throat. "You know, he was a pretty big help out there. He took the lamp from Pete when he was just about to release Jafar."

Iago nodded rapidly, and Jasmine gave him a suspicious once over. "Is that right?"

"He _did_ help out a lot," Donald added in.

Jasmine sighed in defeat. "Well, then . . . I guess I can forgive him. As long as he promises not to do anything bad from now on."

"I promise!" the red bird exclaimed. "You won't regret givin' me another chance. Honest!"

Genie crossed his arms over his chest. "Uh, Princess Jasmine, you sure you want that pigeon in the coop?"

I accidentally laughed loudly at his joke. Iago glared at me. He obviously wanted to say something about how he wasn't a pigeon, but he was afraid that it would shatter the ounce of trust that Jasmine was willing to give. So, he kept quiet.

"Oh, I think Iago's shown that he means well," she reassured.

Sora rolled his shoulder around to stretch his muscles. "And how much trouble can one noisy bird cause?"

"You just might have a point there, kid," Genie gave in.

In the end, Iago was getting what he wanted. He had came to us because he was seeking help finding forgiveness. Princess Jasmine had given it to him. Aladdin had given it to him a while ago. He could finally rest his ruffled feathers. And he did, letting out a sigh that revealed so much relief. I was happy for him. He was able to prove himself.

Jasmine turned her head to look over at the brunet beside me. "So what happens next, Sora?"

"Well, it was great seeing you all . . ." he started. ". . . but we still need to find Riku and the King. I guess we'll be moving on."

Genie nodded in understanding. "I hope you find 'em."

"Me, too."

"Hey, where's Abu?" I suddenly asked, way off topic.

As if on cue, the monkey ran around the courtyard screeching. He was carrying something in his arms. Something shiny. Upon further inspection, I realized that it was the glowing jewel from the gorilla statue in the cave of wonders. He had sneaked it out while none of us were paying attention. He was doing a good job in hiding it up until now, too.

Aladdin chased after him. "Get him!"

Abu was doing his best to avoid getting anywhere near Aladdin. He didn't mind us too much, though. He sprinted in our direction in hopes of out-running the older boy. However, the boys leaped out at him, and the poor monkey came to a terrified halt. With a round of war cries, Sora, Donald, and Goofy landed on top of him in a dog pile. Abu squealed from the bodies on him. His hand released the jewel, and it rolled away on the ground.

"He must've secretly stolen it from the Cave of Wonders." Aladdin sighed.

Donald climbed out from underneath the dog pile. He was the one to pick up the jewel. He glared angrily at both it and the monkey. But, his eyes softened the longer he stared at the red jewel. They glassed over and dilated to the point of invisible irises.

"Wow . . . I guess some things are just hard to resist." He breathed, and then shook his head as if to get rid of his thoughts. "Aw, who needs it!"

He moved to throw the jewel across the courtyard. We followed the motion, expecting it to shatter from how hard it seemed he did it. The sound never came. We didn't even see the jewel go flying. Abu started screeching, then, and we looked down to see that Donald had the jewel behind his back the whole time. He had tricked us. I felt my left eye twitch.

"Oh . . . I guess it got stuck!" he tried, lamely.

Before any of us could call him out on his lies, the jewel began to shine in his hands. The light shot out to the sky. It turned it a dark shade of gray. The once cloudless sky turned riddled with the puffs of white. It was a sight that I was familiar with. It was a sight that I hadn't seen in over a month and a half. In the air was the Keyhole to Agrabah.

Sora summoned his Keyblade again. He spun it around a few times by the handle. He took a step back to gain more leverage, and pointed it toward the Keyhole. A beam of light shot up into it almost instantly. A locking sound was heard followed by a blinding white light. I had to squeeze my eyes shut to stop them from stinging. And when they opened, both the light and the Keyhole was gone, and Sora had a small smile on his face.

Aladdin looked over at the boy. "Sora . . . what is it?"

"I think it's time for us to go," he told him.

Aladdin looked saddened. It wouldn't be the first time we had to leave them after just seeing them. Jasmine walked over to him, placing a comforting hand around his arm. She leaned her head against his shoulder with her own saddened look. The both of them like that . . . it was enough to tug at anyone's heart strings.

"Will you be back?" she asked, quietly.

I gave her a thumbs up. "We will. Promise."

Aladdin returned the thumbs up. It made me smile wide enough for the dimples to show in my cheeks. At least they knew we were coming back. That information was enough to turn their frowns upside down. And most of all, I felt honored that they would have missed us. Having someone genuinely wanting you around was something special in its own right.

* * *

 **Hey! Long time no see!**

 **I have a question for you guys. It's been bugging me every time I try to write this story. This story is officially about halfway done, which means that the amount of chapters in total is going to be over 40. Would that bother you guys? I was considering cutting a few things about because I don't want you guys to think that it's too long. Please let me know!**

 **Fun Fact of the Chapter: Sora and Sasuke were originally supposed to kiss in Chapter Seventeen in The Land of Dragons.**

 **~ Insane**


	24. Olympus Coliseum

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: OLYMPUS COLISEUM**

 **SASUKE**

 **"Friends keep secrets. That's what brings us close."  
** **\- Unknown**

* * *

 **3rd Person P.O.V.**

* * *

 **IT WASN'T EVERY** night that he came to see her.

His presence was something that she had grown accustomed to not being around anymore. There had once been a time where the two of them were inseparable, but those times came and left like the seasons. It was rare for anyone to catch sight of him standing within ten feet of her now. They just didn't belong anymore. It was saddening to say that they had simply fell out of touch, forgotten what it was like to be with someone who actually gave a damn. For that, she wanted to resent him.

She should have resented him. He probably wouldn't have blamed her for it. But, how could she? Not because she didn't have feelings entirely—which she didn't—but because she couldn't for reasons unbeknownst to her own self. Did he resent her? Did he hate her now? Surely the answer must have been yes, for if he didn't, why did he make the effort to see her anymore?

You couldn't keep a bird locked up and expect it to still happily sing songs when you left. It was how she felt—like a caged bird waiting for her reason to sing to come back. Though, she wasn't all too sure if she wanted to sing for him anymore at all. The mere sight of him had once brought her solace. Now, she was sure seeing him would make her angry. She didn't know why. There wasn't anyone or anything in this world that could make her as perplexed as he could. He gave her a taste of emotions, she realized. A taste of emotions that she wished oh-so-desperately that he'd take back.

She had been sitting on her bed that night. Her knees were pulled up to her chin, her arms wrapped around them as if to stay warm. The heart-shaped moon lied just beyond her opened bedroom window. It drowned out the dark bedroom in shades of white and yellow. It was a dark, moon-lit scene to match her inner thoughts. A sigh had escaped her full lips, then. It was the only sound in the small room. If she didn't make any noises herself, reality would crash upon her like a wave, making her realize just how alone she truly was.

She hadn't been expecting her bedroom door to creak open. So slowly that it barely created a sound. Her face buried into her knees, half predicting it to be someone she didn't have the patience to see at the moment. She would have been disappointed to know that she was right. His heavy boots tip-toed into the room as if to not disturb her. They didn't seem to mind that she was dejected—didn't seem to care. The door closed behind them with a soft click.

Her silvery eyes glanced up to see who it was. There wasn't anyone bold enough to walk into her room without asking. Anyone except for him. And it was. The moonlight shined an eerie glow on his bright red, spiked hair. His green gaze didn't travel her way not even once. He walked over to her dresser in silence. It wasn't every night that he came to see her. This time, he couldn't have even said hello.

She watched quietly as he shuffled through a stack of papers on her dresser. The chains of his cloak rattled throughout the silence. It was the only sign that he was here. That he was really standing in front of her after all this time. She didn't know what hurt more. The fact that he had completely ignored her, or the fact that he hadn't bothered to visit her in weeks. Probably the first. She would have rather never seen him again than to know that he had stopped caring.

Her voice was soft and nothing more than a whisper when she spoke. He had to stop shuffling through the papers just to be able to hear her clearly.

"Where are you going?

He pulled out a sheet of paper he was looking for out of the stack. "I'm leaving."

She felt her breath hitch. It was only two words. Yet, it was two words that she had been dreading the most. They both knew that it was a matter of time before it happened. She had prepared herself for the moment when it would come true. So why did it catch her off guard so much? It was the first time she had laid eyes on him in who knew how long, and the first thing he told her was that he was leaving her.

She pulled her knees closer. "Just like Roxas?"

That made him freeze. The two of them existed there in silence for what felt like hours. It had only been minutes, but the tension made the time feel elongated. It was a card she knew she shouldn't have played. She shouldn't have hit him where it hurt. Then again, he didn't have a problem doing it when he let himself into her room saying that he was leaving her. It was only fair.

He turned around to face her. His green eyes finally met her silver ones in a heated stare off. They were eyes that once held so much fire and activity. Now, they were drained. She found herself wondering what had happened in the time that he was gone that turned him out like this. What had happened to kill the inferno in his eyes? What had killed the lighthearted air between them?

"Come with me," he suddenly said.

She shook her head, her black hair whipping around in shiny tendrils. "I can't—"

"If it's protection you're worried about, Hixari—"

"That's not what I'm worried about, Axel."

"So then you can come with me." He took a few steps closer to her, not too close, but not to far anymore. "You're the only reason why I'm staying here."

Why was he staying here for her if he was never here at all?

She sucked in a breath. It had been so long since she heard his voice, but this wasn't what she wanted to hear from him. She didn't want to hear him spewing nonsense to her already faltering trust for him. She didn't want to hear his empty offers. How could he march in here like he had done nothing wrong and expect her to flee away with him? Whatever he had gone through made him lose his mind.

She fought the urge to attack him and hug him at the same time. "I can't go. They're going to place a hit mark on me if I leave. You shouldn't, either. It's dangerous—"

He cut her off with a raise of a hand. "Save me the speech."

She didn't say anything else as he walked toward the exit. What could she say? There was no convincing a man who had already changed his mind. Especially him, who lived according to his own set of rules without regard for anyone else. She didn't make a peep as he twisted the door knob and opened it. She didn't dare look into his eyes as he gave her one last glance.

"Whenever you need me, call me."

The door slammed shut after that, and she was left alone in her quiet, moon-lit room once again.

She he have felt bad? Could he have felt bad? Could he have felt _anything?_ He couldn't—he couldn't feel anything even if he wanted to. He could just think, and his mind was telling him to go take care of business, whether that included the woman or not. Even later, as he walked down the streets of the dark world—neon lights flashing from every corner, house, and sign—he couldn't feel anything other than the fact that he had just left her behind.

It was the sound of barking that had brought him out of his thoughts. He turned his head, his eyes narrowing at the yellow dog that was trailing happily behind him. He had no clue where it had came from or what it wanted. Nonetheless, it seemed adamant on sticking with him. He couldn't complain. He had already ditched one person today. He couldn't find the heart to ditch another.

 _Heh. Funny._

It was the reason why he let the dog follow him when he left through his portal of darkness. They say the road is always a sad and lonesome one if you have no one there to keep you company. Perhaps he had just blown off the last person who gave a damn about him.

Perhaps it was a mistake.

Perhaps it was something he should have done a long time ago.

* * *

 **3rd Person P.O.V.**

* * *

 **DARK BLUE EYES** watched the sunset in almost sadness. They watched while the skies coated in swirls of blues, pinks, and oranges. It was beautiful in the way it reflected off of the ocean, pulling the tides in gentle songs that soothed her ears. If she had been on the little island in the distance, she could have heard the seagulls squawk and felt the salty breeze through her red hair. But, she wasn't. She was on the main land with no reason to go to the place she longed to forget.

It was how she spent most of her days. Lately, she hadn't been participating too much in school. Her schedule of eat, sleep, study was an endless cycle of boredom. Her mind liked to wander to times where she hadn't been so bored. Times were she and her friends played on the little island everyday, making up adventures and downright enjoying each others' company. She missed those times. Times where she wasn't alone.

"Maybe . . . waiting isn't good enough." Kairi sighed to herself.

"My thoughts exactly!"

Her eyes darted around the sandy shore in search of where the voice had came from. It was a male's. There was no doubt about it. Where it had came from was the real question. Nothing but discarded boats, sand, palm trees, and crabs surrounded where she stood. Anyone else would have been to far to hear her talking to herself.

"If you have a dream, don't wait. Act," the voice continued. "One of life's little rules. Got it memorized?"

She felt a shiver run up her spine when she laid eyes on the man who had spoke. He had appeared beside her almost as if from thin air. His hair, reaching past his shoulders, fell down in fire-y red locks of spikes. His narrow, emerald-coloured eyes were glinting mischievously. The black cloak that he wore covered his entire body from the neck down in the dark colour. He wasn't anything that one would usually see on Destiny Islands. That thought was what scared her the most.

Kairi took a step back. "Who are you?"

"Axel," the man answered. "I happen to be an acquaintance of Sora and Sasuke's. Why don't we go see them?"

He held out an ominous hand out to the girl. Yet, her mind was elsewhere.

Sora and Sasuke. They were two of her best friends—two of the three that had gone missing last year. Or, they had simply left. Her mind conjured up images of their smiles, of the way they'd tease and crack jokes with everyone. Sora and his laziness . . . Sasuke and her big heart . . . she never thought that she'd miss something so much.

The sound of barking rang throughout the island shore. She turned her head in confusion. It wasn't every day that dogs were seen on Destiny Islands. But, here one was, bright yellow and wagging its tail happy at her. She fought the urge to smile. She probably would have if it weren't for the situation. Plus, there wasn't time for it.

Creatures of familiar silvery tones appeared around her in a tight knit circle. Their thin bodies wriggled in ways that shouldn't have been humanly possible; their limbs looked stretched beyond comprehension. Their mouths hug open to give view to sharp teeth beyond their hanging jaws. Beside that, they had no faces, nothing but a strange upside down heart with spikes covering their heads. She could have sworn she had seen that symbol somewhere before. She just couldn't remember where.

They didn't look the least bit too friendly. Their bodies danced in taunting ways that send shivers up her spine. Their fingers formed claws at the tips of them. They were most likely for offensive purposes. But, what was she to do? She wasn't very strong, nor was she very fast. If they decided to go after her, she wasn't left with many options.

Her dark, blue eyes widened at what had happened next. A portal of some sorts appeared behind the yellow dog. It was nothing more than swirls of blacks, blues, and purples, but it sure did give off the same vibe that the creatures did. It didn't look all too inviting. She was stuck at a crossroads trying to figure her way out. What could she do at a time like this?

The man didn't seem to care about her inner turmoil. "We've got something in common, Kairi. You and I both miss someone we care about. Hey . . . I feel like we're friends already."

"You're not acting very friendly!" the girl replied.

In a last moment of courage, she followed the dog through the portal of darkness.

Axel felt himself sigh. Great. Women never did like to follow directions. They were stubborn, instinctive, and hated nothing more than to be told what to do. At least, the ones that he had encountered had been. Kairi fell into the same category. She had turned this into a wild goose chase when she could have easily came with him to save him some time. If that wasn't the insufferable quality of a woman, he didn't know what was.

He walked through his own portal, fighting back the need to rub his temples. This girl was going to be more trouble than she was worth. He could already predict that she was. It wasn't like she had a chance against him, either. He could easily pluck her up and drag her with him if need be. But, where was the fun in that? There was more fun in gaining her trust only to let her down later. It was what he did best, it seemed. It was what he had done to the woman that meant something, be it a small amount or a large one. Why not do it to some bratty, weak, little teenager?

 _You're still beating yourself up about that?_

He wanted to kick himself. Not because he was losing focus, but because he was still thinking about the woman he had left balled up in the corner of her bedroom. He was sure she would have cried if she could. It would have been the first time he made a female cry, and maybe that was what dragged down his shoulders. Not for her sake, but for the sake of his morals. Because in all honesty, he didn't care about her at all. He had once upon a time, but things were different now. She was nothing more than a piece of his past that he couldn't stand looking at anymore. Her presence made him hate himself—made him hate who he had become. Surely she would understand. And if she didn't . . . tough luck.

He had found the redhead girl in a place that was all too familiar. Twilight Town, he remembered. The place where he had lost everything. He hated being here. He hated the evening sky that hung above with the clouds, the people in it, the buildings and shops, the trains, and most of all, he hated what was beyond those forests. Everything about the world made his hands ball up into fists. If it were up to him, everything would have been set ablaze a long time ago.

She was on the ground, unconscious by the looks of it. The dog barked at her feet in attempt to wake her up. She was surrounded, too, by a group of disfunctional-looking teenagers. Axel felt himself sigh again. Women sure did like making his life difficult. He couldn't snatch her up now that she was with civilians.

Yup, they sure were troublesome.

* * *

 **"SASUKE, COME ON.** It's time to wake up."

"Hmm? Give me . . . five more minutes."

My body had rolled over in its spot in the backseat of the Gummi Ship; the leather squeaked in protest. It didn't take much to realize who the person who woke me had been—half asleep or not. It was the smooth voice that gave it all away. It held a hint of amusement in its words. It was too deep to have came from Donald or Goofy. That only left one other option. The hand snaking around my arm, shaking me side to side, was just evidence that I was right.

We had piled right into the ship after we got ready to leave Agrabah. That was after they had fed us to the brim with the best cuisine the palace had to offer. I hadn't complained. It seemed like people were growing more and more adamant about us eating in every world. It was a good thing. If it hadn't been for the kindness of people's hearts, we would have lived off of snacks.

Genie hadn't wanted us to leave, either. He kept coming up with excuses as to why we had to stay. One of them included that a Heartless was coming to destroy the city. We had stayed an extra two hours waiting for it to come. He eventually admitted that it was a lie, and thanked us for goofing off with him a bit longer. I couldn't get made at him for it. After all, he was the only one who pointed out that I had somewhat grown in our year apart.

Yet, I couldn't shake this feeling that something was off. There was a sense of dread that I had suddenly felt in space. Be it out of imagination or out of sheer intuition, I didn't know. Nothing had made me more uneasy than when we took off into the dark passageways. I knew that I was being delusional. However, the darkness had spread throughout the ship, casting a dark glow on everything inside. That included my best friend. I could still remember the way my heart raced when the darkness had painted his light hair black, and the colours of space reflected his eyes gold. It was just like my nightmare.

Should I have told him? Should I had told him about how my nightmare had been fixated around him? It made me realize that I didn't tell him _anything_. For someone who I considered a big part of who I was, he knew _nothing_ about what I had been experiencing lately. I had hid those visions in Hollow Bastion from him. I had hid my dreams from him. The only thing that he knew about me anymore was that I liked him.

Had we fallen out of touch? Had we fallen out of the sync that we had so easily created throughout the years? Especially now that we were . . . whatever the hell we were doing. He deserved to know more than I had let on. It was something my scary little dream made me come to terms with.

" _This is for lying to me."_

An annoyed moan escaped my parted lips. It was a last minute attempt to get him to stop his assault on me. He didn't listen. He shook my frame from what felt like the umpteenth time until I finally pried my eyes open. Stretching out my arms and legs, I let out an exaggerated yawn. It just made him chuckle.

Would he be angry when he found out that I was keeping all of this from him? He'd be angry if he had to find out about it from someone else, that was for sure. But, I hadn't told anyone else. I kept everything bottled up inside in fear of something I didn't even know. Would he think that I was crazy? Would he think that I was lying to him?

He sat at the other end of the backseat. To the right side like he always did. I had been lying across the seats during my sleep. My wandering thoughts came to a slow stop when I saw that my legs were propped up onto him lap. Normally, while we slept, we slept sitting up as to not bother the other. I had broken that unspoken rule. I had took up the whole backseat, and all he did was smile at me.

 _You need to tell him. Look at the way he's looking at you—he deserves to know._

I groggily lifted my legs off of him, and sat up straight. "Why didn't you just tell me to move over? How long have I been asleep?"

"You were comfortable. It didn't bother me," he answered like it was the easiest question in the world. "I don't know how long you've been asleep. I lost count after twenty-four hours. You were so tired—I guess fighting took a lot out of you. Still adjusting to it again, huh?"

I yawned. "Yeah, but not so much that I had to sleep longer than a whole day."

"It's fine, Sasuke. You skipped all the boring parts, anyways. We're already in a new world."

 _New world?_

"Where are we?" I asked.

At that moment, Donald leaned over into the backseat with a smirk. "Welcome back to Olympus Coliseum. Now get out of the ship."

 _Olympus Coliseum?_

I climbed out of the ship faster than I should have. My head spun from whiplash; black dots and stars clouded my vision. My feet stumbled around at the loss of balance. Though, once it all cleared, I scanned over the area to see if my friend had been telling the truth. _Were we really back here?_

It didn't look like the Olympus Coliseum that lied within my memories. Rather than the golden structures and beautifully carved landscaping, the place we were in was dark. The rocky ground was a dark gray to match the mountains that littered around the area. Seas of purple waters lapped at the platform on which we stood. Among those seas, a purple-coloured fog had began to set over the horizon. The sky held no light; there was no sun, moon, or stars, for that matter. It was a pitch black that would have made it impossible to see had it not been for the lights lit up along the ground.

We all took a look around in confusion. Even the air was colder down here. Olympus Coliseum was such a warm and bright place. It was hard to imagine that this was anywhere close to it. But, then again, we had been in a deep slumber for a whole year. Anything could have happened in that amount of time. This world could have been one of the unfortunate ones, crumbling at the Heartless' will. It was something that I prayed wasn't true. However, the scenery wasn't giving me much hope.

Goofy looked speechless. "Are ya sure this is the coliseum?"

Donald pointed his white feathers to something in the distance. It was a crumbly pathway that led to a set of dark doors. Through the dark lights lighting up the space, I could make out the golden staircase that ascended upwards. White lights were shining up out of reach as if they were the gates of heaven. Now _that_ was something that the Olympus Coliseum we knew would have. They were all about extravagance. That sure was extravagant.

"It's that way," Donald announced, even though we had already concluded that.

Sora scratched the back of his head. "Oh . . . Guess we were a little off."

"Just a bit," I teased with another yawn.

Hopefully that meant that everyone was okay. That it meant that they were still participating happily in those time consuming games they liked to do. Phil, Hercules . . . hopefully everyone was all right.

Before we could say anything more on the subject, a woman's scream pierced through the silence. It was one of terror and danger. Whoever it had came from, they were in trouble. Ever the heroes, we looked around for the source.

A woman ran along the platform close to where the sea had pooled. Her long, brown-red hair swung behind her gathered into a high ponytail. Her pink dress made it difficult for her to run. Well, that and her shoes. Her long legs stumbled around as she tried to escape the group of Heartless that was chasing her.

She wasn't anyone that I had ever seen around here. But, it didn't matter. We couldn't just leave her there to get caught by them. More specifically so when she fell and struggled to get back up.

I ran toward her faster than the boys had. The Heartless took one look at us. They must have known our intent for they took that moment to make their leave. They disappeared in clouds of black smoke as soon as we reached her. Such cowards. At least they were long gone.

We approached her cautiously as she staggered up onto her feet. Her thin hands were clutching her head like to ward off an impending headache. Sora had offered his hand to help her up, but she shook her head, standing up by herself.

"Thanks, but . . . I'm fine," she assured, giving us once overs. "And you're supposed to be?"

Sora motioned to us respectively. "I'm Sora, he's Donald, he's Goofy, and that's Sasuke. We came to see how Hercules is doing."

The woman's eyes trailed over us once more. Her eyes were scrutinizing—so much so that I felt a shiver run up my spine. Was she judging us? One could only hope she was as good as a judge of character as she let on. Her blue eyes narrowed, her thin brows pulled low, and she crossed her arms over her chest—giving view to her tiny waist. Ultimately, she tilted her head in interest.

"You know Wonderboy?" she asked.

Donald nodded proudly. "Yeah, 'cause we're heroes, too!"

Beside him, Goofy tapped his shoulder. "Ya mean junior heroes, Donald."

Both Donald and I released a heavy sigh. It wasn't like we _wanted_ to be junior heroes in the first place. They had forced the title onto us. We had worked our behinds off to prove that we were capable of being in the big leagues with everyone else. It was of no use. In the end, we had been dubbed junior heroes. I had forgotten all about that until Goofy just _had_ to remind us of it.

The woman chuckled. "Looks like we have a friend in common. Name's Megara. My friends call me Meg."

My eyebrows raised the slightest bit. Jeez, her name was beautiful. It fit her nicely. _There was no better way to shake off my grogginess from sleep than an interesting world like this one._

"So, how's Herc?" I asked.

"Wonderboy?" she mused. "Well, he's duking it out at the Coliseum every day. You know, "a hero's work is never done" and all that. He's ready to drop, but he keeps on fighting. Even Wonderboy had his limits, though. These opponents are bad news—special deliveries from Hades himself . . ."

Donald frowned at the mention of the man's name. "Hades?"

Meg nodded. "Right. Lord of the Underworld. I was on my way to see him. Maybe I can get Hades to give Wonderboy a breather. If anything happened to that kid . . ."

A far away look spread across her delicate features. Her teeth began to nervously chew on her bottom lip. Her eyes became softer, looking at the ground in a glad that I knew all too well. She may not have said it aloud, but it was obvious. It was the same way I looked when I was worried about Sora back in Hollow Bastion. A smirk tugged at my lips. So things _had_ changed around here.

It must have been the year of relationships or something of the likes. First it was Shang and Mulan. Then, it was Beast and Belle, Ariel and her prince, and Aladdin and Jasmine. Now Hercules had even managed to get himself a girlfriend. Something just _had_ to be in the water.

"Sounds like you're more than just friends," I pointed out, slyly.

"Oh . . . uh, I mean . . ."

Sora waved her off with a smile. "We'll go have a talk with Hades. Don't worry about it. I'd hate for anything to happen to you on your way to see him."

"You really want to do that?" She was second guessing. "Well, it looks like you know what you're doing. I guess I'll take you up on that offer. But . . . let's keep this who chat-with-Hades thing our little secret, okay?"

We nodded in unison. "Our lips are sealed."

"Looks like Sora has a soft spot for females," Donald mumbled quietly to us.

I let out a breathless giggle. She didn't even need to ask him for help. He had offered it to her without a second thought. When it came to the opposite sex, Sora was always more than willing to help out. This time, that meant going up against the Lord of the Underworld. If it had been a guy who asked, I doubted he would have jumped at the opportunity so quickly.

Hearing us laughing, he turned to look at us with a raised brow. We instantly shut up. He didn't need to get in on our little inside joke. He wouldn't have thought it was funny, anyways.

The venture further into the void was a long one. Meg had instructed us to go through one of the large doors at the end of the platform. She said that we would find it if we had just followed the path. Luckily for us, we were somewhat decent with directions. If we got lost in there, we would eventually find our way. Trial and error, it was called. Though, the thought of getting lost in a place like this one didn't seem all too appealing.

Beyond the doors was an area made of rock. White mist coated the ground like breaths on a cold morning. White lanterns lit the space and made it visible, accenting it was an eerie haunted feel as if the mist wasn't enough. White balls of light floated aimlessly around in the air. None of us asked it they could have been. Whether it was out of not caring, or fear of the truth, I did not know. Judging by the rest of the layout, I wouldn't have put it against them for being something strange.

I had only woken up a few moments ago. It was the longest that I had ever slept. It was weird to think, but I had slept so hard that I felt like I needed another nap. Maybe it was because I had gotten lazy. Not even Sora the Bum slept as much as I had been lately. As we continued through the caverns, I felt myself release another yawn. Was I that out of shape?

My thoughts were cut off by footsteps. They hadn't come from the four of us; they were erratic and fleeing. I didn't get the chance to process anything. A blur of black raced past us, and down into the twists and turns of the path. It had disappeared from view as soon as it was seen, but I had noticed what it was. I felt my blood run cold. It was someone in an Organization XIII cloak.

I have had a bone to pick with them ever since they fractured _my_ bone. Even before that, the sight or mere mention of them had rubbed me in uncomfortable ways. While the boys were shouting for the person to come back, I was hoping that they would stay away. _Why did they have to be here? Why did they always have to show up? Why?_

"It's the Organization." Donald breathed.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered. "W-why are t-they here?"

Sora shrugged. "Who knows, but we have to find out."

The thought of chasing after another Organization member made my blood rush. Why couldn't we ever stay away from them?

Warmth brushed against my fingertips. It grew in size until it had my entire hand engulfed into its grip. It was a hand, someone's hand too soft and calloused at the same time for their own good. I didn't need to question about who it could have been. Whoever it was pulled me forward into the direction that the member had left off to. My feet stumbled a bit underneath me, and my eyes glanced up with hints of confusion. It was the back of Sora's hand. It was him; he was the one who grabbed me.

It vanquished my thoughts of the Organization XIII. Or, at least, demoted them to the back-burner. It was an act of selflessness. He knew better than anyone else just how fearful I was of them. There wasn't a time that they came around that I didn't cower beside—or behind, in some cases—him. He was simply trying to take my mind off of it. For that, I couldn't have been more grateful.

He didn't say anything when I intertwined my fingers with his. In all of our years together, it was something that we had never done. We had never looped our fingers through the others' before. We had always stuck to mere hand grabs when the situation called for it. This feeling was way different. And maybe I was looking into it too much. But, the feel of his warm fingers between mine was enough to bring a smile to my face.

The path was long and treacherous. There were many curves that led off into different sections We most likely would have gotten lost if it were not for the mist. The mist only ran off into certain paths in the cavern. Donald had suggested that we followed it, saying that it was suspiciously placed, and suspicious enough for Hades. It seemed like something he would do, after all. So, we went down wherever the white mist coated.

The rocks hanging from the ceiling looked loose. Like they would fall on top of us any minute now. My eyes kept darting upwards every now and then in fear of them actually barreling for us. It never happened, though. They stayed perfectly in place as if just to strike fear in unwanted visitors. It was something else that was undeniably Hades-like. He seemed like the type of person to create false traps all over the place.

We rounded another corner, coming face-to-face with another hoard of the white, floating orbs. They danced around the air in ways that were almost carefree. They had no direction whatsoever. Some of them collided into each other. Others remained a steady circle in which they flew. I could have sworn that I hard a noise from one of them whilst we walked past. It couldn't have been. So, I brushed it off, shifting my attention to keeping up with the boys rather than the orbs of light.

We had reached the end of the mist trail when we heard the sounds of running footsteps coming our way again. The four of us came to a stop. We had stood there waiting for something to jump out at us, but nothing did. Instead, something bolted straight at us. It was the cloaked Organization XIII member. They were running full speed at us like we had stolen something valuable from them. I let out a startled squeak.

Sora dropped my hand. It only lasted a second, though, for he quickly grabbed onto my wrist instead, and yanked me behind him. He had moved me out of the way so that I wouldn't be in the member's line of sight. Perhaps it was the scared little noise that I made that had triggered that. Perhaps he was planning to do it anyways. I couldn't tell, but at that moment, my mind was preoccupied with thought of escape.

The person kept on running at us. They must have been on their way to initiate a battle with us. However, they shocked all four of us by sprinting past where we were stationed, screaming incoherent words that I couldn't make out in their frightened tone. It was a male, no doubt. A male who sounded like a big baby.

"Run! Run away!" he cried.

He didn't do much else. A portal appeared a few feet behind us, and we watched as he disappeared through it. The portal closed not too long after. It left nothing but confusion in the man's wake. Donald stared at the now-empty space with furrowed brows. Goofy scratched his head. Sora and I made faces.

The brunet let go of my wrist. "Okay . . . ?"

"I'm . . . guessing he ran into Hades?" I murmured.

I was still confused by seeing an Organization member _flee_. Usually, people ran away from them. It was never the other way around.

Donald glanced back at the glowing door that the man had ran out of. "Only one way to find out."

Sora slipped his hand back into mine, lacing our digits together again, and led us all through the door. I had expected for him to let me walk by myself now that we knew the Organization member had left. Apparently, he had other plans.

The corners of my lips pulled up into a smirk. Was this all some big thought-out idea just for him to hold my hand? Jeez, he was so easy to see through. Not that I was complaining. I liked the attention, if I wanted to be honest with myself. He didn't need to think up some excuse to do it.

The new room was glowing green. The door led us to stand on a rocky platform overlooking the drop below. It had to be over a thousand feet below the platform, radiating off the green that gave the room its hue. Spikes rested at the bottom to add to the creepiness. Soft voices could be heard over the fog that whisked throughout the room. Other than the door from which we came, the only other way out was across a narrow bridge that gave no reassurance that you wouldn't fall to your death. That paired with the spikes, voices, and white orbs dancing around the room made it look a lot scarier than it should have.

I could almost hear Donald's knees shaking. His hands were linked together as he looked around the room with big, black eyes. Beside him, Goofy was shivering. A pout-y frown was taking place on his features. The both of them were scared. And when another voice groaned out in the mist, Donald nearly jumped out of his feathers.

"I'm scared, too, Donald." Goofy trembled.

He looked over at his feathered friend, but he was no longer next to him. Instead, Donald was clutching at Sora's other hand, shaking far more than should have been allowed for his little body. Sora stared down at him with a confused face. I burst out into a fit of laughter.

The teenager attempted to take his hand back. "What are you doing? Let go of me."

"I'm scared!" the duck tried, miserably.

"So? You're older than me!"

During their argument, Goofy had crept over to hide behind him. I bit back a grin. Donald and Goofy terrified? I hadn't seen that in who knew how long. Especially both of them at the same time. Though, it was a practically a first that I had seen them seeking safety from Sora.

"Sasuke gets to hold your hand!"

"Don't make things awkward!" Sora let out a sigh. "You're a big baby."

I wanted to keep laughing. Sora looked like some sort of heroic babysitter standing there holding Donald and my hand while Goofy hid behind him. His gazed trailed up to where the suspicious bridge led to. The mist continued to moan and groan under his hardened glare.

"Hades, come out!" he yelled, and when nothing happened, he sighed. "Looks like we're going to have to go up there."

He took one step over to the bridge. At the same time, he had guided me along with him, and both Donald and Goofy huddled forward after his movement. They were getting closer to him with each step. It made his left eye twitch.

He looked back at the two boys. "Okay, cut it out! I'm not going to hold your hand and walk you across the bridge like your mommy!"

Donald and Goofy sighed, but moved away from him nonetheless. This time, I burst out laughing once more. I let go of his hand after that, too, and started to walk up the bridge by myself. If we were going to get anything done, I was going to have to lead by example. Just like I predicted, the boys followed after me, them mumbling about how Sora was being unfair, and the boy mumbling about how they liked to screw up his chances.

I would have preferred for the lighthearted atmosphere to stay a little longer. Within moments, we were going to be commencing with Hades. The Lord of the Underworld. Yet, here we were, laughing like it wasn't a big deal. It would have been to any other teenagers. It was what I admired about the boys. They were able to make any situation better than what it actually was.

The bridge was long. My thighs began to burn after a while from the upward scale. It was nothing too rough, or that I couldn't handle. Lanterns lit up either side of the bridge as if to give a clear passageway. But, they did nothing to protect someone from falling to their graves. If someone had teetered too close to the sides, they would fall to the spikes below. That in itself was a troubling thought.

I had gotten to the main doors before the boys did. My breath was a bit laboured—nothing like it had been in Agrabah. I was slowly gaining my stamina back, even if I did sleep over twenty-four hours like that was normal. I triumphantly nodded to myself. I was doing better.

"Let's cut to the chase. Here's the deal I'm gonna offer you. I let you out of the slammer—no strings—you'll be free as a bird. And all for the one little job. Fight Hercules in the Coliseum . . . to the death!"

My eyes went wide. That voice was unmistakably Hades'. As the boys walked over, their eyes glinted with interest as well. Just beyond the doors, Hades was trying to convince someone to kill Hercules. Our friend. How could he possibly hate someone so much? Someone who wanted the good in people to show.

A second person spoke next. "This is my story, and you're not part of it."

Donald motioned with his head for us to come on. Whoever Hades was talking to didn't appear up to the idea of killing off Hercules. According to Meg, Hercules was already having a tough time out there fighting. He didn't need another one of Hades' boss battles his way to make things worse. At that thought, the four of us rushed in through the doors.

"Did you forget who you're talking to?" I heard Hades screech. "I am the Lord of the Dead!"

"No wonder no one wants to die."

That pissed Hades off. "You are fired!"

We came in as soon as a burst of fire shot throughout the room. Hades flame-y hair was no longer its blue shade. It had changed into raging red fire. His blue skin had shifted to a dull red as well. His long face was contorted in a sneer at the man in front of him. He had raised his hand to attack the man, but it was pointless.

The man was only using one arm. One of them was carefully tucked away inside of his red kimono-like jacket. Most of his face was hidden behind his high-rise collar. I could still make out the scar running down the length of his face—covering his eye—and his black hair, graying in the front from age. I could have sworn that I had laid eyes on him at least once. I just couldn't pinpoint where.

In his other arm was a long, silver sword. He used it to block Hades' attack faster than he had the chance to deal it. Hades grabbed onto the sword with his hands and tried to force it down. It didn't cut through his skin like one would have thought. The man was relentless, however, and put all of his strength into not being taken down.

"Hades!" Donald took a step forward.

Hades glanced over at us with so much distaste that it should have been illegal. "You guys again?"

The man tried to hit Hades when he wasn't paying attention. It didn't work in his favor. Hades grabbed onto his sword and shoved him back, sending the man crashing onto the ground. With an evil snarl, he conjured up balls of fire in his hands. He was going to kill him himself. I summoned my Keyblade, not even waiting for it to appear all of the way before I ran forward to shield the man from the attack. Surprisingly, Hades stopped.

"Get up," I told the man over my shoulder.

"You ought to be taught how to stay in your place, little girl," Hades snapped.

He charged forward to attack me. Thankfully, the boys rushed over before he could get too close, bringing down a round of attacks his way. They had protected me from his advances. But, something was different. Something was . . . _off_. Their weapons wouldn't hurt him like it would the average Heartless. Their weapons would just go through his body like he hadn't been there at all. Was this a joke?

"Something's wrong," Donald said while they stepped away.

Sora nodded in agreement. "I feel kinda funny . . ."

"That's right!" Hades grinned. "See, that's the thing. In the Underworld, heroes are zeroes—comes with the territory."

He charged at us again, but disappeared into a cloud of black smoke when the man rushed to block his attack. He turned to look at us with a stern expression. _That was it! That was where I had seen him before!_

He was the man in the pictures I often seen at Tidus and Wakka's house. The boy had lived with Wakka and his fiance, Lulu, because of his father's death a long time ago. The blond kept photos of his father around the house, some of them including the man in front of us. They were friends, he once told me. But, if Tidus was from Destiny Islands, and this man knew his father, did that mean he was from Destiny Islands as well? There was no way. He couldn't have been.

"Go now!" he shouted.

Sora took a defensive step forward. "But, I've gotta talk to Hades!"

Hades had his fingers in his ears, staring innocently around the ceiling as if to tune the brunet out. "What was that?"

"We can't fight him here! We have to go! Now!" the man shouted again.

We followed his orders this time and ran out of the lair. I admitted that I stumbled around a few times. It wasn't because of me being clumsy or anything. It was because of the pressure. It wasn't every day that we had to run from a battle—from Hades, no less. There was a first for everything, I supposed. I just hoped that we wouldn't be running away quite often.

Sora and Goofy used all of their might to shut the double doors behind us. They let out a few strained groans from the extortion. Nonetheless, they slammed the doors shut hard enough to shake the ground.

I sighed. That was a close one. Whether we wanted to stay there or not, Hades didn't look like he was in the best mood. Perhaps it _was_ best that we left. If he had heard we were here to get him to ease up on Hercules, he might have doubled his roughness on him. Now we were back to where we started. At least everyone was safe.

Donald tried to even out his breathing. "Is he . . . gone?"

"Don't count on it," the man answered.

As if he had been summoned, the smirking King of the Underworld appeared in front of us. He looked like he was playing a game of cat and mouse. It was like he knew all of our efforts were for nothing. He knew that the only way for us to escape him was to get to the Coliseum. We all took a cautious step backward.

"Leaving so soon?" he smiled.

"Head for the exit!" Sora ordered.

That was all that we needed to hear. We bolted back down the bridge faster than the words could leave his mouth. More specifically Donald, whose webbed feet scrambled away at the very start. Goofy was right beside him. Both of them were screaming in fear, and usually it would have been funny to me, but now wasn't the time. There wasn't anything funny about being chased.

I had always been one of the faster ones. Not _the_ fastest one at all, but well enough to get by. I had always been an expert on stamina control. With my childhood, how couldn't I have been? Though, this was the first time that I had been so easily out-ran by someone other than Riku. I liked to say that it was because I wasn't at my top shape. _Excuses, excuses . . . you're going to get caught with that attitude._

I forced myself to run faster. Hades was a lot quicker than he looked. No matter how fast we made ourselves run, he was always no more than three steps behind. Even for the man we had just met, who looked fast enough to take on cross country races.

Hades had gotten fed up with just running. I almost shouted out in shock when a ball of fire rushed past me. He was throwing magic now. The attacks came slowly at first, but then turned into an all around hail storm of fire. Donald screamed as one of the balls missed his arm. It was only a few more feet left to get to the exit. It was going to be the most exhausting few feet ever.

We practically threw ourselves through the door. Auron had slammed it behind us so that Hades couldn't try anything funny. It wasn't like he couldn't teleport to the other side like he had done last time. Though, this time, I doubted he had enough patience to commence in another high-speed chase. So, the four of us collapsed onto the ground in a heap of groans and unsteady breaths.

Goofy had laid flat out on the rock flooring. Donald was tossed over on his stomach almost as if he was going to fall asleep. Sora sat with his legs stretched out and his eyes closed. And I, as lazy as I looked, was lying on my back with an arm thrown over my eyes. Auron didn't seem out of breath at all. He stood by the door watching us like we were idiots. Maybe we were. We were idiots who had just ran across a bridge being chased in under five minutes.

Sora gazed up at him with a shaky breath. "You're really good. Are you some kind of hero?"

The man shook his head as a far away look crept into his dark eyes. "No, I'm no hero . . . I'm just an . . ." he trailed off. "Auron."

The three of us shared a confused look. What was an Auron? Was it a level of hero that we had yet to discover? Was it something above a junior hero? Was it something above the hero title itself?

"My name," he clarified.

 _Oh._

Sora nodded, and stood up to shake his hand. "I'm Sora."

"Donald."

"Goofy!"

I gave him a timid smile from my spot on the ground. "I'm Sasuke."

"It seems we were fated to meet. Maybe you need a guardian," he suggested.

Sora instantly shook his head. "A guardian? Thanks, but no thanks."

The man chuckled lightly as Sora walked toward the way from which we had came. He didn't take too kindly to being guarded and protected. He was too brave for that. It was the same way a child wanted to be set free to explore the world at their own pace. He wanted to be free to do whatever he pleased.

I bit back my smile.

* * *

 **3rd Person P.O.V.**

* * *

 **PETE FELT HIS** breath stop.

Hades had stomped back into the lair in which he had left Pete alone in. His "hair" was no longer a smoldering shade of red. It had trickled down to an annoyed blue. His expression was the most irritated Pete could ever recall him being—it was a lot seeing as how everything pissed the man off. Then again, those pipsqueaks had a habit of doing that. Around here in the world of bad guys, everyone hated their guts.

The ominous glow of the lair didn't do much to brighten the situation. After Hades had ran off to go chase those meddling adventurers, Pet found himself wondering why the King of the Underworld surrounded himself with so many dark colours. Surely it was the reason why he always had an attitude. Perhaps if he had some yellows or greens in here, he would be a more calming person.

Hades stomped further into the room. His dark eyes were darting left and right as if he were trying to come up with a plan. A plan of action. Pete knew that if he had came back to the lair empty-handed, those good guys had gotten away. Maybe that was why the King looked so fed up. It wouldn't have been the first time those guys tampered with his plots.

Still, Pete felt like he should help him out a bit. "I got Heartless all over the Underworld now," he told him. "so you can leave those pipsqueaks to me. Look, pal, you just keep working on turning Hercules into a Heartless. Then, he'll be all mine."

His words of encouragement did the exact opposite of what he wanted.

Hades turned to glare at him. He had burst into angry red flames again, sneering at him with a murderous intent. Pete instantly shut up. The irritated King must not have been too keen on him taking Hercules for himself.

"This is my Underworld, you idiot!" Hades roared. "I'll handle this _myself_!"

He snapped his fingers, then. Pete watched wide-eyed while three giant dogs poked their heads into the lair through the window. No . . . it wasn't three dogs. It was three dogs heads attached to one huge body. Their red eyes were narrowed in a permanent glare. Their jaws were wide open, baring out rows upon rows of sharp teeth. Pete took a step back. It didn't look like any of his Heartless by a long shot. It was a lot more . . . terrifying . . . aesthetically, at least.

Hades beamed at the dog. "Cerberus, go!"

With a nod of its head, the dog bolted in the direction of the Underworld's exit. Pete was still in shock. _These friends of Maleficent's sure did have a lot of tricks up their sleeves._

* * *

 **I HAD DECIDED** not to bring up where I had seen Auron before. I didn't bring up Tidus, Wakka, Tidus' father, or the photographs. I didn't bring up the fact that he could have had ties to Destiny Islands somehow. Auron seemed like a reserved type of man. I didn't know if he would mind the interrogation or not.

The exit of the Underworld was in the way we had came from. We would have taken longer than we should have had it not been for the mist. It served as a sort of tour guide. When we told Auron about it, he didn't look all too convinced. He didn't look impressed, either. But, he gave in, following us saying that we knew more than he did.

I had so many questions for him. There were so many mysteries surrounded Auron that it was unnerving. But, we had just met him. It wouldn't have been polite to thrust him into the spotlight for a bunch of people he didn't know. Because of that, I kept quiet. Something told me that he already know, though, for he would glance in my direction every now and then with raised brows.

It shocked me that he had helped us. He had been talking with Hades, after all. I had half expected for him to be a bad guy since Hades had sought out his help. Maybe he was in the same situation that Cloud had been in the last time we were here. Auron could have been forced into carrying out the will of the darkness. It was a good thing that he had stood his ground. It was going to make things easier now that we didn't have to worry about him trying to take down Hercules.

However, that wasn't the only surprise. We had approached the entrance of the cave hoping to leave through the same double doors. Unlike the last time we were here, the doors were shut. Our footsteps came to a halt. In a matter of minutes, our whole escape route had been tampered with.

"What? It's closed!" Donald quacked.

The three boys rushed over to the doors. Their hands gripped onto each door as they attempted to force them apart. They didn't budge. Not even in the slightest. Their frustrated growls echoed throughout the entrance area. No matter how hard they pushed and pulled, it wouldn't open. I had even joined in to help, pulling one of the doors with Donald. But, after a minute or two, my muscles were tired, and I was sure that nothing we could have done was going to open the doors.

Gasping, Donald pointed further up the door. We followed his gaze to see the giant lock that was holding it closed. It ran along the width of each door to keep it in place. Someone had locked it. There was also a large keyhole on the lock. Whoever it did it must not have considered everything. At that, Sora summoned his Keyblade.

"Will that open it?" Auron asked.

Sora nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

He held up the Kingdom Key to unlock the door, but stopped once we heard loud growling. Our eyes scanned over the area in search of where it could have came from. We nearly frowned as the familiar black, three-headed dog fell from the ceiling. It landed with a big enough impact to shake the ground under our feet. I stumbled around a bit.

Auron got into his fighting stance. "Hurry!"

Sora nodded. A beam of light shot out of the Keyblade toward the door. The light grew into a white flash. It cleared away to reveal that the lock was now gone. The Kingdom Key had unlocked it; the door was able to be opened because of it. I helped Goofy and Donald coax the doors apart. Thankfully, this time, they opened.

The three of us dashed through them while Auron fended off one of the dog's attacks. Sora had ran over to the other side of the doors, too, until he caught sight of Auron's unfair predicament. He froze, looking back and forth between us and the man like he was debating something. Then, without warning, he bolted back over to the fight.

I chased after him. "Sora, wait!"

He stopped running at the sound of my voice. He had turned to face me, that serious expression of his taking over his features. He was being . . . stern. His hands rested on my shoulders, spinning my body around to gently push me back through the doors. It was then did a magic barrier appear. It blocked any of us from crossing through to the other side. I put my hand on the barrier, my eyebrows knitting together upset. He had just locked himself in with the three-headed beast.

"I'll be fine," he assured me. "Just wait for me."

He ran into the battle. I let out a sigh of defeat. If he hadn't moved me back through the door, I could have easily been locked in there with them. If he hadn't turned around, Auron could have been locked in there by himself. I was glad that he decided to help the man instead of leaving him alone. It was very honorable. I was just afraid that he would get hurt in the process.

That beast was nothing to take lightly. I knew that from personal experience. We had fought it before in the Coliseum. It took all of us to knock it down. I could only hope that Sora had gained enough strength over the time we've been away to take it down with one other person. I felt my stomach twist and turn. I hadn't been this worried about someone else since Mulan was almost crushed by the dragon Heartless.

Why was I worried about him? He could handle his own. He told me that he would be fine. Yet, here I was, watching through the magic barrier with wide eyes. I had never been one to sit and worry on the sidelines. Things had changed, I guessed. I was no longer worried about fighting or my own personal interest when it came to battles. Now, I was worried about my best friend.

The best friend that I was still keeping things from.

" _And, yeah—everyone changes at some point, even me, but I don't have to worry about you changing."_

He said that was what he liked about me. That I was still the same person. Would he still feel the same if he knew that I _had_ changed? I watched him swing his Keyblade with a newfound since of dread. Would he get angry when I told him? Would he feel different if he knew that he didn't know everything?

My situation with Sora was so delicate. There were so many elements that could make or break what we had. To think that our building relationship—if it was even that—could be tainted by a lack of communication was hard. Then again, it was _my_ business. He didn't need to know everything. But, it was important business . . . business that could change my life if it actually meant anything. He deserved to know.

I had made up my mind. I was going to tell him the first chance I got. Maybe he wouldn't get mad at me. Maybe he would. Who really knew anymore? I could only hope that, just like the any other problem that I had, he would understand me.

The dog collapsed onto the ground without a second wind. I heard the sound of clicking before the magic barrier had let up. It didn't take long for Sora and Auron to come racing through the doors. It was a sort of snap back into reality. With them through, I helped Donald and Goofy close the doors back. Just in time, too. The dog had gotten up and tried to get at us, but the doors slammed shut in its face.

Sora doubled over, placing his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breath. We were so focused on him and the door that we hadn't noticed anything else. More importantly, _someone_ else. I glanced around the area in search of the dark-haired man. He wasn't anywhere in sight. It was like he had never existed in the first place. It was like he was a ghost, disappearing from sight the moment we let our eyes off of him.

"Where's Auron?" I asked no one in particular.

"He can take care of himself," Sora said, standing up straight. "Let's go find Meg. Then we can try this again."

* * *

 **3rd Person P.O.V.**

* * *

 **HADES SAT ON** his throne with a snarl. If there was anything that fueled his flames more than not getting his way, it was heroes. Heroes who could easily defeat his favourite pet. He hadn't predicted it to happen so soon, either. It was all the more reason for him to get upset.

Pete watched him from the other side of the table. His face still held that look of fear on it. Good. Hades thought the guy _should_ be scared of him. One snap of his long, blue fingers was all that it took to send hell Pete's way. That, and the impending wrath that was soon to bubble over inside of him any second now.

Hades rolled his dark eyes. "So, let me see if I got this right. That brat's Keyblade works on any lock?"

"That's right." Pete nodded.

Hades chuckled. Pete had told him stories about the Key's miraculous strength. He told stories about how it saved worlds and defeated the meanest of hearts. He told stories of the light with that kid being the defender of it. And now, Hades couldn't have been more intrigued. A boy with that much power had just wandered into his world, huh?

"Have I ever told you about the killer coliseum we have right here in the Underworld?" he asked, politely. "It makes the one upstairs look like an Olympic kiddie pool."

Pete slammed his fist down onto the table. "Then that's the place we're gonna put an end to Herc the Jerk's winnin' streak."

Hades waved him off. "Problem," he started. "Zeus locked it tight."

Pete grumbled. Since their coliseum was locked off, there was no way that they were going to lure Hercules there. There was no way that they could get the jump on him. Except . . . now they had a way to. Hades chuckled as he waited for Pete to catch on to his plan. Once he did, he, too, joined in the evil snickering.

"Bingo." Hades grinned. "All we gotta do is swipe that Key, and then reopen the Underdrome!"

Pete scratched his head. "Hate to tell ya, but that Key is kinda particular. It won't work for just anybody. And that kid ain't no pushover."

"I think this calls for a woman's touch," Hades exclaimed.

He snapped his fingers. In a burst of black smoke, the image of that girl appeared in his hand. The one that had been here only moments before. Her eyes were bright and surrounded by thick, black lashes. Her hair was long and silky, like it had been brushed with the best hairbrush the world had to offer. Her heart-shaped face was happy and thoughtful. Hades didn't blame the kid for picking her. But, she was a bit on the shorter side. Hades liked his women tall.

Pete looked confused. "What's that pipsqueak gonna do? She's as stubborn as he is."

Hades merely grinned. "Don't you think I know that? That little girl is more trouble than she's worth. But, I do pay attention to everything that happens in my Underworld. If I read in between the lines correctly, he actually _cares_ about her."

Pete blinked. "So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that he likes her," Hades snapped. "And what better way to trick a boy into doing what we want than by snatching away his girl? If we get her, he'll come running after her like a little puppy. I swear it. That way, we can get the Key. Simple."

Pete joined in the laughter. "You're a genius."

"Oh, I know."

* * *

 **Super fast update, huh? I moved into my new house a few weeks ago, and my room is set up perfectly now. It's so easier for me to focus now that my surroundings are neat and tidy again. Oh, and thanks for the feedback! Sea Salt Ice-Cream will be written to its full capacity now that I know you guys don't mind. It's a good thing, too.**

 **Fun Fact of the Chapter: Sasuke's birthday is February 14th, which is Valentine's day.**

 **~ Insane**


	25. Tell Me Anything

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: TELL ME ANYTHING**

 **SASUKE**

 **"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."  
** **\- Earnest Hemingway**

* * *

 **THE COLISEUM WAS** exactly how I recalled it being.

The tan-coloured walls boxed in to create the front entrance yard. The ground was of the same sandy colour. Golden pots containing wild fires sat around the area in planned positions. Signs telling details of the next fight hung on the walls next to the double doors from which we had entered. Across from it, golden statues of warriors stood well over ten feet tall; the swords that they were holding crossed over the Coliseum doors. The double doors barring designs of lighting bolts was at the top of the few steps, surrounded by golden pillars for expensive effect. I recalled saying that they enjoyed extravagance. This fit the bill perfectly.

After Sora and Auron's run-in with the three-headed dog, we had began the path back to the world of the living. That was, without Auron. He had disappeared off somewhere faster than we could realize that he had left. Part of me wondered if he had even been there at all. But, of course he had been. The boys had seen him, too. That was enough evidence of his existence for me.

The way out of the Underworld had been a long one. Not in a literal sense, but more of a figurative one. My mind kept roaming to thoughts of me being a liar. A traitor. Every sing synonym one could come up with for the word. They were thoughts that I had ignored for weeks on end. Now they were plauging and following me like moths to a light; I couldn't escape them no matter how much I busied myself.

Perhaps it was because of the guilt. If anyone else had done to me what I was doing to him, I would have saw it as keeping secrets. It wasn't the case. Rather, it was more like hiding a personal occurrence. One that was strictly my business and my business only. Up until today, at least.

The wind involuntarily blew my hair around my face. My hand reached up to tuck some of the dark locks behind my ear. We had made it too far to catch cold feet now. Beyond those double doors was a world that we had left a long time ago. The world of heroes and villains. Many things had happened there. Sora had sprained his wrist, I had summoned my Keyblade with my ow will for the first time, and we had encountered the three-headed dog. This place was a giant magnet when it came to big events.

Goofy let out a happy sigh. "Gawrsh, this sure does bring back memories."

 _Tell me about it._

It was crazy to think that in a few months from now, I would be sixteen-years-old. Riku wasn't even that old the last time I saw him. We had landed in Olympus Coliseum when I was well into my fourteen years of age. I had grown in several ways—matured mentally, physically, and emotionally. Because of all that, I was ready for all that lied ahead.

There was only one way to find out. I followed the boys up the Coliseum steps with a brave face. I would show them that I wasn't a kid anymore. I would show them how much I had grown into something that I could be content with. I would show them that I was proud of myself, and that I no longer deserved the title "junior hero."

The doors were thrown open the second we reached the top step. We had froze in our spots, awaiting to see who had down the harsh action. It should have came as no surprise, though.

It was our orange-brown-haired friend who stood in the doorway. His unruly hair was held back by a brown headband. It matched the colour of his outfit; it was nothing more than a vest and a battle skirt. The long, blue cape attached to his shoulders reached low enough to dance around his brown sandals. They didn't do much to contain the large amount of muscle mass that he possessed. Had he grown in the time that we were apart? His arms were the size of my head alone—same thing went for his thighs and calves. And his eyes, the same dreamy blue as his cape, stared at the ground in a certain sadness. His broad shoulders were hunched, too, now that I looked at them.

It didn't last for long. His eyes went wide at the sight of us, his lips pulling up into a smile. He had seemed upset at first. It was a complete contrast to how happy he appeared now. At that, Sora smiled right along with him.

"Sora! Donald! Sasuke! Goofy!" Hercules greeted, excitedly. "When'd you get here?"

Sora sent him a wave. "Hey, Herc!"

"Long time, no see," I mused.

My attention tore away from the reunion, focusing on the person moving beyond the Coliseum doors. The long, pink dress and sapphire eyes were easy to make out. The girl crept around Hercules to see over his shoulder. Her ponytail would have brushed against him had she not flicked it behind herself. It was Meg. Good—she was here with Hercules while we were out seeking Hades.

I wanted to frown. Would she be upset when she found out what happened? Sora hadn't exactly fulfilled his offer to her. We had left to put in her request to the man. We were no standing in front of her again defeated. It felt like we were coming back empty-handed. To think that the four of us had gotten ran out of the Underworld by a man who couldn't even hold his temper . . .

"You on another adventure?" Hercules asked.

Sora shrugged. "Yeah, trackin' down some friends, wipin' out some Heartless."

"Junior heroes, always busy!"

Hercules took a step toward Sora. The both of them extended their hands, slapping them against each others' in that "bro" type of greeting. I had seen it several times in my days of hanging out with the male population of Destiny Islands. It was especially a favourite greeting of Wakka's, whom initiated it with me no matter how many times I told him he hurt my hand. Well, that, and full on hugging, though I doubted Sora and Hercules would have commenced in that.

"You know it." Sora beamed.

He didn't bring up the fact that he had called us junior heroes. It was something that he was tired of fighting against, I supposed. His mind was always elsewhere these days. It didn't shock me to see that the label had flown past his head. In fact, he seemed proud of it.

Meg stepped out from the inside of the Coliseum. Her thin arms were crossed over her chest, and she looked incredibly out of place. It was like she wasn't used to being around so many people. Either that or she was nervous . . . nervous about the news that we had came to relay to her. I ran my teeth over my bottom lip. _So nervous that I had picked up Sora's habits._

Hercules smiled at her before looking back at us. "So, did you find those friends of yours?"

"Still working on it," Sora replied. "When we got here, we ran into Meg—Uh . . . Meg—mega trouble, I mean! So we had to help somebody out. We tried to teach Hades a thing or two . . . but the Underworld drains away all of our strength. Don't suppose you have any ideas?"

That was a good way of telling Meg that we hadn't got anything accomplished. She continued to hold that passive expression. She was trying to keep up with the "I don't know anything" act around Hercules. She had asked for us to do it, too. We had agreed to it, of course, but I didn't see why she just didn't tell him. _For the same reason you're not telling Sora._

Hercules tapped his chin. "Well, there is a stone that guards against the Underworld's curse. The gods on Mount Olympus use it whenever they have to go down there."

"Think we can use it?" Sora asked.

"Sure, why not." Hercules chuckled. "I'll go get it for you. But, Hades is no pushover, even if you've got the Olympus Stone. And I have a match today, so I can't go with you . . . You know what you need? Training! Why don't you go talk to Phil?"

Sora nodded. "Good idea.

I knew what he meant by _training_. Their version of training here consisted of us standing in a ring with a bunch of Heartless. _If_ there were any Heartless. They had a tendency to make us battle barrels before anything else. Knowing them, there would be time limits, too.

We listened to Hercules' suggestion. It would be a good time for me to brush up on my fighting as well. I was growing tired of finding that my actions weren't as fast as the boys' were. There was nothing worse than knowing that I couldn't keep up. Phil could help supply me with the stamina that I had missed. It wasn't a bad idea at all.

The inside of the Coliseum, beyond the front lobby, was enormous. It stretched out farther than the front yard or the lobby did. Sectioned in by tan-bricked walls, rows upon rows of seats sat on each side to give onlookers a place to watch the games. In the opposing wall was an iron gate that kept monsters from coming out when they weren't supposed to. The tournament area was ridden with Greek-styled pottery. _Here it was. It was already starting._

The memorable satyr paced around the center of the grounds. His hoofed feet created little tapping sounds against the flooring. His rounded belly jiggled with each step. His ears were up-pointed to go along with his down-turned, black brows. And though his eyebrows were black, the beard running down from his ears to his chin was brown-red. His short tail wiggled around merrily as he kept on pacing.

He must have heard us come in because he started speaking. "Hey, champ, how ya feeling? Better rest up for tomorrow's match. Nobody's gonna pay to see a worn-out hero . . . capiche? Remember what I told you. Victory in the games comes down to three simple words: eat, bathe, sleep!"

The four of us exchanged confused glances. The satyr's body was facing the other way the entire time he spoke. He didn't know that it was us who had came, not Hercules. He was spilling out reminders for people who didn't really need it. Because of that, the boys burst into laughter, Sora thinking it was so funny that his face turned red. They never did miss the opportunity to bug the man, be it by claiming to be heroes or by meddling in his affairs.

Phil turned around. His fist was raised to wave around his hairy knuckles. His eyes were narrowed into a glare—he clearly didn't like being laughed at. However, his expression brightened once he laid eyes on the four of us. He had rushed over, hoofs tapping against the ground, arms wide open, and a grin spreading across his face.

Sora bent down to his height, and the man yanked at his cheeks. "Hey, if it ain't the junior heroes!"

"Lookin' good, Phil." Sora laughed.

"Never better," Phil retorted, putting his hands on his hips as he looked us over. "How you guys been? You grew a lot, that's for sure. Have you earned your "true hero" wings yet?"

I watched as Sora and Donald puffed out their chests to look stronger. It made me smile. They were flexing muscles that were still on the smaller side. It made them seem the same way they had last time we were here. Mentally rather than physically. Noticing it, too, Phil shook his head and waved them off.

"Nope, you ain't got what it takes."

Sora and Donald let out exasperated groans. "What?" they cried in unison.

Phil ignored their protests. "So, what's up?"

"We kinda need your help." I shifted most of my weight to my right leg. "We're going to have a _talk_ with Hades, and Hercules suggested that we come train with you. It's a good thing because I was starting to get real lazy."

" _Starting_ ," Sora mumbled to Donald.

I elbowed him in the ribs. He made a sound similar to one someone would make while they're vomiting. His hands darted out to clutch where I had hit him. He made it seem like I had knocked the wind out of him. His back bent in a doubled over fashion. His mouth released shaky wheezes along with sounds of false regurgitation. I rolled my eyes, laughing about his dramatic show. I doubted there was enough power in me to knock the wind out of him. I doubted there was enough power in me to hurt him at all. Confirming my thoughts, he stood up straight, and sent a smirk my way.

 _That guy . . ._

Phil laughed, too. It wasn't because of Sora this time. No . . . he was laughing at something entirely different. He rested his hands on his knees in hysterics. One of them reached up to wipe away the tears that were forming.

"You three are gonna take on Hades?" he wheezed.

Donald pouted. "What's so funny?"

Phil wiped away his last tear, and began to calm down. "You got nerve. I like that. Hey, you never know—stranger things have happened, right? Better get cracking, boys! And . . . girl."

I sighed. "I don't know if you're being sexist or not."

"Just for that, drop and give me twenty."

"But, I didn't do anything—"

Phil gave me a murderous glare that would have held competition to the old school gym teachers on Destiny Islands. Choosing not to say anything else that would get my punishment worsened, I clambered onto the ground, getting in the push-up position. I was well aware of the boys finding my situation comical. Their laughter grew louder when I collapsed after only three.

"Oi, we've got a long way to go . . ." Phil gripped the bridge of his nose. "First thing's first . . . Missy, I'm putting you on cardio. Go take ten laps around the stadium. You three, I'm testing your speed, strength, and agility."

We all groaned. The boys were going to have to go through Phil's legendary time trials. I was going to be running around the Coliseum, which was about a mile in perimeter. He wanted me to run approximately ten miles. It was going to take me a whole hour and a half to finish that. I could barely walk up a long flight of stairs, let alone run for an hour and a half.

He was trying to kill me. That was easy to see. There was no way that I would be able to run all ten of those miles without taking breaks in between them. There was no guarantee that I wouldn't collapse after the second one. Though, it was necessary if I wanted him to train me. He was trying to get me into better shape. If that included a little bit of death in Phil's eyes, so be it.

The boys followed Phil over to where the pottery laid scattered about. I took the hair elastic off of my wrist and reached up to fasten my hair into a high ponytail. I was really going to do this. I was really going to attempt to do this. After all, I _did_ say that I was going to show them how much I had grown. Fourteen-year-old me would have had a heart attack upon hearing the command. Almost sixteen-year-old me was going to give it my all until I couldn't anymore. It was the least that I could do.

The key to running long distance was to start off slow. That much was common knowledge. You had to pace yourself in order to keep going the whole way. In this case, I started jogging since I was going to be going a whole hour and a half. If I had started off in a sprint, I would have been exhausted after the first twenty minutes. Hopefully, Phil wouldn't have a problem with that.

But, he wasn't paying attention to me. He was busy giving orders to the boys. The four of them sat around pots and a timer. Goofy and Donald were destroying as many of them as they could in the given time frame. Sora, on the other hand, must have struck a chord with Phil like I had earlier. He groaned and dropped to the ground, giving the man the push-ups that he wanted. He was having a better time doing them than I was. He went well past three.

Was this how he trained Hercules? It was no wonder the boy was so tough and pumped for action. Having Phil as a trainer, he must have been able to do the incredible. His workouts weren't for the faint of heart. I had realized that the moment he put me on a ten mile run right off the bat. Could Hercules run ten miles without a problem? I doubted he'd get tired after twenty.

I had been running for nearly thirty consecutive minutes when I stopped. My hands stabled themselves on my knees as I took in heavy breathes. Doing this was a lot easier said than done. My chest felt like it was burning upon every inhale. My face was hot from all of the physical activity. I let out another gasp of air. _Man, I was really out of shape._

"You okay?"

My half-lidded eyes gazed up to meet amused, blue ones. My face would have flushed red had it not already been the colour. I scrambled to stand up straight, trying to play it off like I wasn't as tired as I was. All that it did was making the boy in front of me laugh.

Sora looked down at me with a smirk playing on his full lips. His arms were crossed over his chest. His hair was completely dry and not sticking to his forehead. There didn't seem to be any sweat on it. After all of the orders Phil was barking at them, it shocked me to see that he wasn't sweaty in the slightest. He was cool, calm, and collected. Perhaps it was the perk of being physically fit. I, however, was on the verge of taking another one of my twenty-four plus hour naps.

I nodded. "I'll . . . be all right. I have . . . seven more laps . . . to go."

"Hmm." He hummed in thought. "The others are busy taking breaks, too. Ditch the laps and come with me. I need to talk to you."

My heart was still pounding in my chest. "About what?"

He bit his bottom lip. That was all the information that I needed.

 _Oh._

I nodded to show that I agreed. He must have wanted to talk about something important. He only ever bit his lip when he was nervous. It could have been anything that he wanted to talk about. It could have been about the training, Hades, Meg, or just about every other topic in the world. Whatever it was, it was enough to have a talk about it in private. He had grabbed my hand to lead me through one of the stadium doors in the stands, pulling me in and down the hall.

The hall was quiet. It was the same golden colour as everything else in the building structure. It was long, containing several exits. It was nothing but a path from the stadium seats to emergency exits. The only light came from a few torches on the walls, and from the two doors on each opposing side.

Sora looked down at me. There was a serious glint in his usually playful, beautiful irises. His lips formed a straight line rather than the smirk that was once on them. It threw me off guard. Seeing him so hard-wired toward me was a rare sight—unless I had done something reckless to frustrate him. The two of us stood together in the hall in silence. He just stared down at me, and I stared up at him. It was almost terrifying in a way. Something about his whole demeanor didn't feel right.

He took a step closer to me. "You girls are so gullible. I thought it would have been harder than this. You didn't even see that Sora's still out there training with those idiots."

"What?" I furrowed my brows, taking a step back. "I don't—"

Sora laughed. It sounded an awful lot like the evil laughs he had in my dream. It sent shivers down my spine, and stings at my nerves' ends. He was too close. It felt like he was being forceful, not sweet like he normally was. It was the same way he was forcing himself onto me in my nightmare. And with a burst of dark smoke, the image of the teenager cleared away, leaving behind a cackling Hades.

His hair danced in patches of blue flames. His shoulders shook from his laughter. His eyes were dark and menacing. It was never Sora in the first place. Just like my nightmare, the boy had transformed into something evil . . . something that wasn't him.

I wanted to frown. I had been played. The real Sora was still out there training with the others. Yet, I didn't think to look back at them. I had ran off with the fake Sora without a second thought. That was how much trust I had in him. When it came to him, I didn't have to second guess anything. It was a mistake I was learning that I couldn't make anymore. Maybe that was where Hades knew he had me beat.

I glared at him. "What do _you_ want?"

"I came here for you, obviously." Hades grinned. "You're coming with me."

"Yeah, right."

He smiled wider. "Ooo, feisty. This is gonna be fun."

His blue hands reached out to grab onto me. I had to think fast. There was no way that I was going anywhere with him. He was the bad guy. I had tried to out-run the Sora in my dream—it didn't turn out too well. So, I did the other thing that came to mind.

My foot rose to connect with the spot between his legs. His hands had ceased, and he had collapsed onto his knees in a fit of swears. He spewed out curses about how I was anything but pleasant. He was a male, after all. Just like all males, they had one weakness in common.

"You little . . ." he groaned.

I didn't stick around to hear the rest of it. I turned on the heels of my shoes to bolt in the other direction. If Sora and the others were still out there, I would have a chance at escape. But, I never got the chance. Hands clambered down around different parts of my body. One pair was around my ankles, one pair held onto my wrist, and many more clung onto everything in between. I struggled to get out of the grasp, but they wouldn't let up. I would have bruises from how tight they were holding me.

It was Heartless. The many things that held me in place were Heartless. There had to be at least ten of them. Hades must have known that I wasn't going to go down without complicating things.

He climbed back onto his feet after a minute. "Don't you know how much that _hurts_? This is why I don't like handling females. That's always the first thing they go to. It's not playing fair."

"You aren't exactly playing fair, either," I snapped. "Let me out of here before I do a lot worse than kicking."

"I wouldn't put it against you, short stuff. But, I'm afraid I just can't do that. You see, you're a necessary hostage at the moment. Now do both of us a favour and shut up."

I let out a frustrated groan. _You always have to let your guard down, don't you, Sasuke?_

* * *

 **3rd Person P.O.V.**

* * *

 **BOY, WERE THEY** ever tired.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy had been proving themselves to Phil for who knew how long now. It started with the time trials. Then, it progressed to actual fighting. That paired with the frequent push-ups whenever they failed to do something had left them sore and exhausted. As silly as it sounded, they actually wished that he had assigned them to cardio with Sasuke.

She had gotten off easy. Sure, it was going to take a long time, but it was way better than lifting weights. Donald swore that his arms were going to be sore for the next few days. Sora would have rather had ran, anyways. It was something that he could truly accomplish. Doing forty push-ups and sit-ups every thirty minutes was doing more than burning his body. It was burning his will to carry out the rest of it.

Luckily, they had been saved by a hero. Literally. Hercules walked into the Coliseum once they had reached the hour mark. His shoulders were slumped in that way that they had been previously. His expression was one of puzzlement. The three boys found themselves walking over to him in search of what was wrong. Surely something had happened to upset him again.

Had something gone wrong? The last time that they had talked to him, he was going to Mount Olympus to get the stone for them. Had something involved with it came up? Had his request to use it been denied?

Phil released a whistle as the group linked up with the hero. "Listen, I gotta take off for a bit," he announced.

 _No more training for the day? Huh?_

"Where to?" Sora asked.

"None of your beeswax," was Phil's answer.

He turned around, and marched out of the Coliseum. He was leaving just like that. It was sort of suspicious, now that they thought about it. One second he was focused on forcing Donald into sit-ups, the next he was running off. He hadn't said anything about having to leave while they were training. It was too sudden and way too thought-provoking.

Nonetheless, Hercules let out a sigh. "Sorry, guys . . ." he started. "The Olympus Stone had been stolen."

"What?! By who?" Donald quacked.

Hercules shrugged. "We don't know who did it yet. All we're sure of is that it was a guy in a black, hooded cloak. And he had accomplices—a bunch of creatures in white."

That was all that they needed to know. Sora, Donald, and Goofy shared a knowing nod. It was a likely chance that it was the man that they had encounter in the Underworld. The man that had ran away from them. He had been so shaken up at the time, screaming bloody murder for reasons unknown, though he wasn't as scared as she was.

She hated those guys. Sora couldn't blame her for it. He would have, too, had he been in her shoes. The look of fear that crossed her face every time one came around, or one was mentioned . . . it was enough to make him want to protect her. There wasn't a time that she hadn't been shielded by or saved by him from the Organization. All except for that time she got her arm fractured. The one time where he hadn't been able to save her.

His gaze traveled around the Coliseum in search of the running girl. She should have still been running. In fact, she should have been passing by them right about now. His gaze hardened in confusion when he seen that she was nowhere in the stadium. _Had she went to the bathroom or something?_

Hercules took note of their acknowledgment. "Someone you know?"

"I think so." Sora nodded, partially paying attention to the conversation, and partially still looking for the girl. "Hey, if we get the Olympus Stone back, can we borrow it for a while?"

"Sure," Hercules agreed.

Sora then felt his eyebrows knit together. "Have you guys seen Sasuke? She was just here . . ."

Everyone shook their heads. They hadn't. It shot a sense of dread throughout the brunet boy. If no one had seen her around, where could she have been? She wasn't in the Coliseum lobby if Hercules hadn't seen her. She had probably been gone too long to have went to the bathroom. And perhaps Sora was filling his head with things that hadn't even happened. Things were probably okay, but he felt—deep in his gut—that things weren't.

He opened his mouth to ask them another question, but stopped when he felt a pressure on his shoulder. It was a hand. A blue one, no less. His head slowly craned behind him to look up into the dark, haunting eyes of Hades. If he was here, that could only spell trouble. With Sasuke missing, trouble was the last thing that Sora needed.

"What's wrong, kid? Feeling under the weather?" he asked Sora, innocently. "You know, I thought staying in perfect shape was part of the junior hero job description . . . you know what I'm saying?"

Sora shrugged his hand off of him harshly. The Lord of the Underworld was acting a bit too smug for Sora's liking. It was filling him with ideas bad enough to turn his hair gray. It could have been no coincidence that he noticed her missing the same time Hades decided to show up.

Hades was oblivious to the boy's change in mood. "I came to share a bit of mildly-interesting news. Seems your dear, sweet little Sarah—or whatever her name is—went and got herself lost in the Underworld."

Sora's hands balled up into fist at his side. It felt like his vision had just slowed down. His chest had suddenly felt hot. His eyes had glared hard with murderous intent. His jaw tensed, grinding his teeth together in the action. He was never one to get easily upset, but this . . . Hades had stooped too low.

Hades smiled. "Oh, you're mad. Perfect."

"You kidnapped her," Sora snapped.

"Well, maybe. But, why get caught up in the details?" The man shrugged his shoulders. "She was more than willing to go with me. All I had to do was pretend to be you, walk over to her smiling, hit her with the iconic "I have to talk to you" line, and she was following me out of the stadium in no time. You should have seen her face when she saw it wasn't really you. Priceless."

If Sora was getting worked up before, he was seeing red now. Hades had came and snatched her away using the image of Sora as a lure. He was pissed, livid, everything in between, and he found himself balling up his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. But, worst of all, Sora had let it happen when he was only a few feet away. It was his own fault; he should have done something. He should have kept a better eye on her. That was what was heating him up the most.

He didn't say anything. He didn't have anything else _to_ say. He moved to leave the Coliseum whether everyone came with him or not. There wasn't any time to waste. If Hades had taken her to the Underworld, it was safe to expect the worse. Usually, he was aware that she was a strong girl and could handle her own. However, in the Underworld, everyone was weak. She wouldn't be able to defend herself. Especially since the Organization was running around, too . . .

He was stressing out. _He had to go._ _Now._

Hercules, Donald, and Goofy were right alongside him. They knew the seriousness of the situation. He didn't need to explain it to them. He was thankful for that. Thankful that he had such supportive and brave friends to help him out in times like this.

Hades wiggled a finger at the seething boy. "You can't leave now, okay? Hercules, you've got a very important match today against, um . . . the bloodthirsty Hydra! I mean, if you don't stick around, who knows what kind of "accidents" might happen?"

"Yeah, accidents you cause!" Donald growled.

Hades waved him off. "Like I said: details, who needs 'em?"

Sora had enough with the talking. "Herc, you take care of the Hydra. We'll go down to the Underworld. I'm going to go get Sasuke."

* * *

 **"ISN'T THIS THE** part where you beg for a knight in shining armor to come save you or something?"

I could feel my level of annoyance reaching its peak. My mood wasn't particularly because of Pete's constant talking. It was caused by everything. It wasn't every day that I went around getting kidnapped by bad guys. It hardly happened, in fact, I had never been gullible enough for it. But, they had pulled my trump card, and now I was stuck with him.

Hades and the Heartless kept holding me until they brought me to the Underworld. It didn't matter how much I kicked, yelled, punched, and thrashed around. It did no good; they didn't release me. There were purple marks growing on my body where the Heartless had put their strong grips. Bruises. It wasn't every day that I went around getting kidnapped by Heartless. But, the one time I did, they left _bruises_.

 _Oh, they were going to get it._

They had wrapped thick, iron chains around my body after I had tried to summon my Keyblade. They knew that it was the one way that I would be able to break free from their clutches. It was the one way I could get everything to work in my favor. It was why they had settled the chains from my shoulders all the way down to where my wrists were stuck to my sides. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world—none of this was comfortable—yet it was better than what I had initially thought they were going to do.

There was only some Heartless, Pete, Hades, and me in the room they kept me in. The room was bright—gray walls and white floors lit everything up. There was not much else to it. It was in big contrast to everything else about the Underworld. Everything else was based around dark elements, but this room reminded me of the light. It was silly to think about it. Something so bright could host something so sinister.

I stood next to the wall, surrounded by a few bat-like Heartless. They flapped their black wings in determination . . . just like they had been doing for the past twenty minutes straight. They didn't serve any other purpose rather than keeping me in place. Pete was a few steps away, glaring down at me with his dark eyes. There wasn't much that I could do about either of them. I wasn't exactly in the position to do that.

"Did I do that when you guys took me?" I asked, fed up. "I don't cry for help. It's not in my character."

Pete's eyebrows raised in interest. "Not even when you're getting kidnapped by the Lord of the Underworld?"

I shook my head. "Not even when I'm getting kidnapped by the Lord of the Underworld. What is he planning, anyways?"

"To bring the other pipsqueaks here," Pete answered, proudly.

I felt myself sigh. "Why was I kidnapped and brought here if you were just going to bring them here in the first place? Couldn't you guys have brought us here all together?"

Pete rolled his eyes. "I thought women were supposed to be smart."

I chose not to ask him anymore questions. For one, I knew that Pete wasn't going to give me a direct answer. He was good at avoid questions like they were fights. Secondly, I knew that he was just going to continue to insult me. He had been calling me stupid, short, and everything of the likes since I got here. I blew a piece of my bangs out of my eyes. This was just great.

Hades, whom had been staring at the wall with his arms crossed, turned to look at the both of us. His expression was a mixture of irritation and amusement. He grinned ear-to-ear in that maniacal way as he walked over to me. I had to tilt my head up to see him all the way. He was well over six-feet, something that wouldn't be the best for my neck in the long run.

"They're coming. I'd say any second now, too. They're right outside the Underdrome. Honestly, I expected them to take a while longer, but I guess I went a little overboard in pissing him off." He chuckled, gripping my face so that my cheeks and lips were puffed out. "How about you let out a little scream? That will make things more interesting."

I glared up at him. "Like I'd ever."

That made him groan in displeasure. "I think you're my least favourite out of all of them. You're no fun, just a bunch of bad attitudes."

"Well, sorry for being mad at people who _kidnapped_ me."

My voice was muffled and little due to his hold on me. His hand was gripping my face hard enough to leave more bruises. It was something that I didn't need more of. My arms struggled in the chains. This just couldn't get any worse, could it?

He parted his blue lips to say another snarky comment, probably about how I was insufferable, though he froze midway. The sound of rushed footsteps had brought him out of his teasing mood. He glared down at me with a newfound distaste, and I stood on the tips of my toes to look over his shoulder. As if they had been summoned, Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood behind him, weapons in hand. I smiled at them even though Hades was still squeezing my face. Hades simply rolled his eyes.

He let me go, and turned around. "Now that's what I call a key." He cackled, looking at the Kingdom Key in Sora's hand. "Gee, thanks for the help. Mission accomplished. Now have a nice day."

Sora stepped forward to start a fight with him. However, Hades disappeared into a fit of smoke. The boy was left glaring at the spot he once stood in. Though, what was the most shocking was what he did afterward.

"You guys are really starting to tick me off." He growled.

His eyes were so murderous that it was almost hard to recognize them. They were narrowed and dark; they were a dull blue instead of its previous sky colour. They had lost their shine, too, replaced by a fog that sent shivers down my spine. He was popping his knuckles, and his eyebrows were knitted together. Neither of them were good signs.

Behind them, Pete laughed with his swarm of Heartless. "What's wrong? Can't fight in the Underworld? Oh, how sad."

"Think again."

Sora turned his head to look at Pete through the corner of his narrowed eye. Donald took the moment to rush over to me, yanking at the chains like it would fall off if he did. They didn't. They stayed right where they were, wrapped around me to keep me from defending myself. He began saying something about a key. I wasn't paying attention to him.

My focus was more on the scene happening around us. Sora was looking for a fight—it didn't matter who it was, I supposed. He had originally been after Hades, yet he wasted no time in fighting the Heartless Pete sent his way. He was using his Keyblade to knock them out of the way. He was heading for Pete, choosing not to spend time on the little ones.

I ran out of the line of action since I was tied up. Donald followed me as he declared that he was going to protect me from getting hit. He didn't know how to get the chains off. I didn't blame him for it; I didn't know, either. But, that left Sora and Goofy to go after Pete and the Heartless by themselves.

I had noticed that their attacks were actually working. They weren't gliding through the creatures like they had before. That must have meant that they had gotten the stone from Hercules earlier. It was a good thing. All of us escaping without it would have been near impossible.

There were other things to worry about, though. Such as the fact that with every Heartless they defeated, two more would spawn in its place. I had became an endless cycle. They would attack, I would run, and it would repeat for what felt like hours.

They had noticed it as well. The two of them weren't enough. After ten minutes, they took a step backward, guarding me with caution. For the first time in a while, there were too many for them to physically handle.

"There's too many!" Goofy cried.

Donald nodded in agreement. "Let's go!"

Sora faced me. The burn had faded a bit from his eyes. He must have wore some of it out during the fight. It didn't do much for his demeanor. He was still hot from what I could tell. I could feel his boiling body heat radiating off of him even from where I stood. It was a mystery to me as to why he was so . . . angry. I hadn't seen him that mad since some kid named Yazoo popped his ball on Destiny Islands when we were younger. And even then, he wasn't red.

I tried not to flinch away as he raised his Keyblade high before crashing it down on the chains around me. They fell around my feet in loud clumps of metal. He had freed me. It felt good to have feeling in my arms again.

My eyes went wide when something big emerged from the group of Heartless. It didn't take much to recognize who it was. Their biceps were so huge that they knocked Heartless out of the way with the slightest of ease. It was none other than the hero himself: Hercules.

He walked over to us smiling. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "You guys get Sasuke outta here. I'm sure she's shaken up. I'll meet you back at the Coliseum."

"What about you?" I questioned.

He beamed at me. "I'm gonna show these guys what happens when they mess with a true hero."

I shook my head. "I'm staying. I'm all right—I can fight."

"Sasuke—" Donald started.

Sora cut him off with a sigh. "She has just as much right to be here as we do. She's not going anywhere no matter what you say to her," he explained. "Might as well do this together."

I smiled at him. He was usually all for kicking me out of the battle field toward safety. Yet, here he was, telling everyone that I was going to stay by their side. It shocked me. This had to be the first time he let me stay against his—and everyone's—wishes. He was trusting me more. He was coming to terms with the fact that I didn't need to be shielded all the time. Perhaps that was the best thing that Sora could have proved to me.

So, I summoned my Keyblade, and joined the four of them in the standoff against Pete. It shouldn't have been too hard, after all. Now that the boys had the stone that enabled us to fight, we couldn't have been taken down. We were a force to be reckoned with. At least, that was what I told myself for reassurance purposes.

Hercules was the first to run off into battle. He ran in swinging his mighty fists at anything that got in his way. Goofy was right beside him, flattening Heartless on the ground underneath his knight's shield. They looked like such a team. Goofy wouldn't let any rouge heartless near Hercules, and Hercules did the same in return. It was an equal effort.

Donald stuck to staying on the magic defense. He stayed in the back, spewing out magic every chance he got. That left Sora and I together, attacking anything and everything within a two foot radius. That included the flying bat Heartless. I had said that I was going to make them pay for the bruises they left on me. I had every intention to fulfill that. And as some of them disappeared into a cloud of darkness under the hands of my Keyblade, I felt myself smile. _That shows them._

One of the flying Heartless had gotten too close to me during my battle. I took a step backward to dodge its attack, crashing into something hard. I had figured that it was a wall at first. However, upon further speculation, I saw that I had backed up into Sora. Our backs were turned to one another in a small break from the constant aggression. Keyblades gripped in our hands, we let out a few breathes, eyes scanning over the amount of enemies left.

"So," he suddenly called out to me, and I turned my head to look up at him. "Does this count as a date?"

I wanted to laugh. "It depends."

"On?"

"If we win or not," I joked.

He took it seriously, though, for he had a renewed look of determination. "All right, it's a deal." He smirked.

He left my side to join Pete without another word. I let out a chuckle while I shook my head. _Jeez, that guy . . . If that wasn't the biggest mood swing, I didn't know what was._

I joined Donald in the magical assault. Hercules, Goofy, and Sora had moved on to fighting Pete. Donald and I took care of the few Heartless that remained so that they wouldn't be bothered. It would have been better to melt Pete's shoes to the ground instead. He ran around in circles trying to get away from them. It wasn't until minutes of chasing did Sora finally get sick of it, sticking out his foot to trip the guy. I tried not to laugh as Pete rolled onto the ground. Now they could really attack him.

Most of the spare Heartless had been dealt with. There were only the annoying ones left, flying through the air in a desperate attempt to dodge our magic. He spun around in loops through the air. It was making me both dizzy, and low on magic energy from missing. Finally, I chose to use my Keyblade, throwing it up at the few creatures. It spun around, knocking them out, before returning back into my hand like a boomerang. There were just some things a Key could do that ice couldn't.

Hercules slammed his fist down on Pete's jaw. The guy stumbled back a but, groaning about how they didn't need to be so rough. We all took that as a sign of surrender. Which it was—Pete was darting around for an exit.

"Hmph . . . this place gives me the creeps," he snapped. "I'll deal with you nitwits next time!"

He fled, running out of the room with his tail in between his legs. Sora chuckled. He summoned his Keyblade away in a burst of light. A few heavy breathes were blowing past his lips. Nonetheless, he looked down at me with a smile that made wonder why he was so attractive.

"Great second date, if I do say so myself," he mused.

I just shook my head, chuckling. Of course he hadn't forgotten about that. His light mood didn't last long, however. His brows furrowed in that same way they were minutes ago as he gave me a once over. The bruises on my skin obviously wasn't a pretty colour. They were ugly shades of red and purple, much like his face had been after his fight a while ago.

They made the fog come back into his eyes. "Did they hit you?" he asked, taking hold of my arm to turn it over.

I shook my head. "No, they were just holding me too tight. I'm fine."

"You sure?" he asked, quietly.

I would have settled his growing nerves, but I never got the chance to. The ground began to shake underneath our feet. No doubt it had been caused by something suspicious. Rumble from the ceiling trickled to the floor around us; the room was collapsing. Realizing that, too, the boys shouted warning about how we needed to leave. The next thing I knew, I was being yanked out of the brightly-lit room.

It was Goofy who had grabbed me. They weren't being the least bit lenient. They weren't stopping to ask questions. They weren't wondering what had caused it. They were reacting on fight or flight, their adrenaline forcing them through the caverns of the Underworld more unsteadily than they should have.

The way to the front entrance was shorter than the route it took to get to Hades' lair. There were a lot more cliffs, jumps, and turns. I had nearly tripped when they passed a hoard of sharp rocks. Luckily, Goofy caught me, pulling me ahead to run alongside him. His legs were longer than mine, but some support was better than none.

It felt like I was being dragged through a whirlwind. The ground was shaking, the boys were shouting, and everything went by my head like a blur. It felt like a reel of photos moving in fast motion. I supposed that was for the best, though. There was no telling what could have happened if we stayed where we were any longer. From the looks of it, it sounded like the whole Underworld was falling apart.

The entrance of the Underworld wasn't shaking like the other parts of it were. Goofy released my hand once they concluded that everything was fine. There were no disturbances there. The only sounds were the gentle lapping of the purple sea along the rock platform. Hercules let out a sigh. That was a close one, for sure.

"Well, if it isn't everyone's favourite hero washout. You really blew it this time."

Our head whipped around in search of the voice. It was clear who it had came from. The whispers of amusement in them could have came from one single person. Hades. He walked toward us with raised eyebrows and crossed arms. He didn't look worried about the expression of distaste on Sora's face. For whatever reason, the brunet no longer seemed tolerable of the man's presence.

Sora's eyes narrowed further. "No one likes a sore loser, Hades."

"Can it, keyboy!" Hades snapped.

"Then let me." Hercules took the few steps to stand in front of the Lord. "No one likes a sore loser, Hades."

Hades rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, sticks and stones. Hey, maybe you should go check on that Hydra you neglected to finish off. I hear things are really _falling apart_ up there, champ."

He disappeared in a cloud of smoke before we could do anything else. If I had used my context clues, Hydra sounded like some monster that he had sent to the Coliseum after Hercules. One that didn't get defeated. That meant that it was up there running amok in the world of gods and heroes. It wasn't a good sign. Surely that could have been the reason why the ground had been shaking.

Hercules hung his head in disappointment. "Hate to run, but I've got another little diversion to attend to."

Hercules walked toward the Underworld exit. He might not have been expecting us to follow him. But, we did. There was no way that we were going to let him handle everything himself. It was bad enough he helped me escape Hades and Pete. He shouldn't have to do this alone, too.

The Olympus Coliseum was in ruin. Chunks of the building that had once stood tall scattered around the area. The golden pillars were crushed into meaningless crumbles. The golden statues were broken in half, standing around as a reminder that we were too late. It was nothing but shambles now. The only things that still remained were the pieces of the tan walls. Just like everything else, they were broken and discarded.

In the center of the rumbled Coliseum was a monster. It was a royal purple and dragon-like, swinging its head around on its long neck threateningly. It let out a cry that was enough to scare the fainter of hearts. It was something that Hades would muster up. It was the thing that had the destroyed the place we all held so many memories in.

I felt regret rocket through me. It was all my fault that things were like this. If I had been smarter—paid more attention to my surroundings—and not have gotten kidnapped, we wouldn't have left the Coliseum unattended. They left the monster because they were looking for _me_. They were coming to get the girl who had wandered of into the hands of evil. That meant that this was all my fault.

There was no worse feeling than knowing that you caused misfortune. It made me feel helpless, like I suddenly shouldn't have been allowed to stand in front of everyone the way that I was. I felt like I had let everyone down. And perhaps I did. I came here in spirits to show everyone how much I had grown, yet caused something like this. I felt horrible.

Hercules collapsed onto his knees in front of the rubble. There was no doubt that he thought this was his fault. It wasn't. He had left the Hydra to help the boys save me. He was just being a good friend. Now, he was feeling the blunt end of it when he had done absolutely everything right.

"This can't be," he whispered, defeated.

Meg and Phil rushed to his side. They looked just as upset as he did . . . but for different reasons. They weren't upset about the Coliseum being destroyed. They were upset that he had given up. That he was letting his emotions get the better of him at a time like this. In a way, I felt like they were talking to me, too. I was standing behind everyone, brows furrowed, wondering why I had to do something so stupid. I shouldn't have been. I should have been focusing on the bigger picture: the Hydra in front of us.

Phil shook Hercules' shoulders. "Champ!" He beamed. "You're safe!"

"I failed," Hercules mumbled.

Meg placed a tiny hand on his back. "It's not your fault," she tried.

"I left everyone unprotected," Hercules said. "Hades was right. I'm just a . . . a washout.

"Aw, come on, champ! I didn't train you to think like that!" Phil cheered.

Sora stepped over with an encouraging smile. "Phil's right. This is no time to beat yourself up."

Hercules shook his head. "I'm some hero . . ."

Meg helped him to his feet, leading him to the sidelines. He was way too tired to do anymore damage. He had been fighting all day—even before we came here. He needed a break. He needed to sit this one out. That left no one else but up to defeat the monster from the Underworld. At that, the four of us summoned our weapons for the second time in the past forty minutes.

We let out sounds of shock when Phil stepped over. He was doing weird karate moves that would have done more damage to a plant rather than the monster. But, it was funny to watch. He looked so concentrated as he stood on one leg, waving around his arms in motions that were supposed to be terrifying.

"Don't suppose you got room for one more?" He smirked.

Sora nodded. "Sasuke, are you going with Herc and Meg?"

"I'm staying," I answered.

"Okay."

His words were enough to brighten my mood once again. He had asked a genuine question instead of telling me to go. It was something that was going to take some getting used to. I was so accustomed to him pushing me to the side without an explanation why. He was finally letting me make mistakes. Because everyone made them, and I knew they all would be there for me if I happened to screw up again.

 _How did I get so lucky?_

The Hydra swung its long, purple tail at us in a side sweep. We jumped over it, breaking off into different sections to get to work. Phil scattered into the scraps of the Coliseum. Donald lacked behind to keep himself at bay while he did his magic. Goofy took on the role of defense this time around. Sora and I stuck to our usual offense, aiming at the head over any other part of its body. It screamed when Sora rained down hits on its face. It was definitely a weak spot.

It had no real other moved than swinging its tail. We did our best to dodge it every time it moved. However, Goofy had gotten hit. He was knocked back into the rumble so hard that even I had felt it. He flashed a thumbs up to let us know that he was all right. I released a sigh of relief.

The Hydra leaned its head back unconscious after a long string of attacks from us. Sora had taken the chance to jump up, swinging his Keyblade to cut the head off. And it worked. The head was severed, and all traces of life in the monster had gone limp. That was, until it buried its headless neck in the ground. Three heads popped out of the ground in different areas of the Coliseum. Great. It had regeneration abilities.

"Kid, get up on the Hydra's back!" Phil shouted.

Our eyes trailed upwards to see him standing above the Hydra's body. He was standing on a broken wall holding a golden pot that was nearly three times his size. Sora smirked and complied. He jumped up onto the purple body of the monster. With a war cry, Phil tossed the pot into the air. Sora jumped, using his Keyblade to send it crashing down onto the monster. It was all it took to render it unconscious again.

The three heads around the Coliseum slumped over. Donald, Goofy, and I took one each. We used our weapons to chop each of the heads off. But, that wasn't the end, either. It was never that easy.

The neck attached to the body began to double . . . triple . . . more than that. It grew back six more heads than it had last time. They screamed at us angrily. I let out a whistle. Hopefully this was the end of it all.

We stuck to the plan of raining down attacks like we had previously. The head was the monster's weak point. We attacked the multiple heads as quickly as we could. There was still a chance that the monster could cause more harm. It didn't take much to ruin more of the world. Given its size, there wasn't much that could have stopped it. All except for us. And as we chopped off the last of its remaining heads, Sora let out a breathless chuckle. It had stayed down this time.

It was over. Just like that, we had foiled Hades' plans. Albeit we were late, it was better late than sorry. Plus, we had done all of this in front of Phil: the man who called us junior heroes. We joined Phil, Meg, and Hercules were they sat on the sidelines with wide grins. We could only hope that they found us worthy now.

But, they weren't as happy as we were. Hercules, at least. He sat next to Meg with his head still hung low. He looked like a kicked puppy. It was a reminder that the Olympus Coliseum had been destroyed in our absence. Sadly, he was beating himself up over something he had no control over.

"I let you down," he murmured. "I'm just . . . no use."

Meg patted his shoulder. "It's not your fault," she assured. "Hey, even a god would be exhausted."

"She's right," Sora pointed out. "Give yourself a chance to rest. There won't be any games for a while, anyway."

I made a face. _That was the best thing you could come up with, huh?_

Nonetheless, Meg stood up, smiling at the four of us. "Don't worry about Wonderboy here. I'll look after him. Sora, Donald, Sasuke, Goofy . . . I owe you bit time."

"Hey, it's no big deal." Sora waved her off. "Just let us know if Hades or the Heartless start acting up. We'll take care of it."

Donald cheered in agreement. "Yeah, that's what heroes are for!"

"When did you four make hero?" Meg asked.

I made another face, and scratched the back of my head—a nervous tick I had picked up from the brunet himself. "Jeez, I thought you guys would at least let us slide this once."

The corners of Sora's lips turned upward. "Let's save that for another time. We have to hit the road."

Meg nodded. "Okay. Don't be strangers."

"Oh, well, take care you guys!" Phil waved. "Stay a little longer next time. We got some serious training to catch up on."

"Gawrsh, I hope ya feel better, Hercules," Goofy said.

Once the hero nodded, Sora glanced at the us. "Well, it's time to go. Oh, I almost forgot! The Olympus Stone!"

He dug into his pocket. I watched with curious eyes as he pulled out a cream-coloured stone, an emblem of lightning carved into it. He reached his arm out of give it to Hercules, but stopped when it began to shine. It was an action that I had seen over a hundred times. He had found the Keyhole.

There was something so amazing about watching a Keyhole get locked. It was comforting, knowing that Heartless had lost the ability to tamper with the world. If the Keyhole had been locked at the islands all that time ago, we wouldn't have faced all the hardships that we had. We would have been different people. We wouldn't have felt heartbreak.

But, sometimes one needs to hurt before they could grow. That was what I had realized in my time outside of Destiny Islands. You learn from experience. You mature the more life throws things at you. You didn't develop into a better person by having things fine and dandy all the time. For that, as shallow as it sounded, I was glad that I was taken from my home. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be who I was today. I wouldn't be the growing Sasuke that I had come to to enjoy. I would be that silly, little kid who thought there was no evil in the world, and I wouldn't be as strong as I was now.

I wouldn't have hurt. I wouldn't have nightmares, or visions, or sad thoughts of home whenever it got too quiet. I felt myself sigh; the nightmares and visions. They were topics that I needed to make Sora aware of. It was the least that I could do to calm my raging nerves. He had grown with me all this time. I wanted him as much a part of my growth as I did everything that happened in my past.

So, I looked up at him, fighting the urge to look nervous. He had finished sealing up this world. That meant that it was time for us to move on. Time for us to go be junior heroes somewhere else. But, I couldn't wait. I needed to talk to him now.

"Sora, can I talk to you for a minute before we go?" I asked.

He sent everyone a look. They had all noticed the importance in my tone, diverting their attention to another subject to waste time. Sora nodded, and he motioned for a secluded area among all of the rubble. It was a bit away from where everyone else was. He must have known that it would be something that I wanted to talk about alone. I was thankful for it. It would have been nerve-wracking to have to tell him that myself, too.

The area was out of ear shot of the others. It was also blocked off a bit by debris—they couldn't get nosy of something they couldn't really see. He tilted his head to the side in that confused way of his. Though his exterior was calm, it was clear that he was nervous . . . worried, even. He wasn't the one that had to worry about anything. It was me that had to worry whether or not he would still like me after he knew that I had been keeping secrets.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

My reply was quiet and lame, "I have to talk to you about something."

"I'm listening. You don't have to act so scared. You can tell me anything."

I twisted a lock of my hair around my index finger. "Well, what do you want to hear about first?" I murmured. "The dream or the visions?"

His brows lowered questioningly. "What visions?"

 _Here goes nothing._

"I've been having these visions—or flashbacks, I don't know what they are—about a girl who looks just like me. She's usually roaming around a place that looks like Hollow Bastion with three older kids I can't remember the names of. They said them once, I just can't . . ."

Sora tapped his chin in thought. "Do you think she's you?"

"There's a chance," I admitted, softly. "I mean, they _call_ her Sasuke. She can't be any older than four-years-old. That's before I met you guys on the beach and lost my memories."

"You want to know what I think?" Sora sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Honestly, I think you're from Hollow Bastion, or somewhere related to it, at least. I know it's a shot in the dark, but Yue and Akiba look just like you. It freaks me out every time I see you with them. You're always smiling and happy when you're there, too. Plus, if these visions are true, that's even more of a sign."

I frowned. "But, that doesn't make sense. How would I have been brought to Destiny Islands if I'm from Hollow Bastion?"

"Probably the same reason why Aerith, Leon, Yuffie, Cid, and everyone else were brought to Traverse Town. Maybe you just ended up somewhere else," he theorized.

This was going a lot different than how I had planned it in my head. I had expected him to be angry that I kept things from him. He wasn't. He was being understanding, and even giving me input on everything I had to say. It was the biggest relief that I had that day. I was relieved that he was a person that I could come to.

He hummed after a minute. "Tell me if you have anymore visions. I'll help you piece them together," he offered. "And what about the dream?"

"I had a dream you killed me a few weeks ago," I answered, hastily.

He laughed. "You _what_?"

"Yeah," I nodded, suddenly embarrassed. "Riku was there. But, it wasn't you guys. It was Riku possessed by the darkness, and someone who looked like you and claimed they were you. But, it wasn't you, you know? He had black, spiky hair and yellow eyes. His voice was deeper, too."

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "So, it wasn't me?"

"No, it was you! But, it wasn't. I don't know. He knew things that only you would know, but he wasn't the same as you. He said that I was pretending to have a heart and called me a liar. Then, he killed me."

"Didn't have a heart?"

"I said the same thing." I sighed. "He kept saying that I didn't have one."

He looked more confused than amused now. "But, you _do_ have a heart."

I shrugged. "I don't know. It just threw me off, I guess."

He chuckled a few times to lighten the mood. The next thing I knew, his arms were wrapping around me, pulling me into hug. I didn't fight it. It felt good to know that he wasn't mad or judging me. And maybe I had worked myself up for nothing. He should have known that he wasn't going to be like that. But, it was my nerves that had gotten the better of me, creating made-up images that never would have actually happened. I had spooked my own self for nothing.

"Why didn't you tell me you were so stressed out?" he asked, holding me against his chest. "How long has this stuff been happening?"

I wrapped my arms around him, too. "About two months now. Maybe longer."

"Well, try not to think about it too much. I'm sure it'll all make sense later."

I felt myself smile. "Thanks for talking to me."

"What else am I here for?" He shrugged, but I could hear the smirk playing on his lips.

There was no way that I was a key element in any of this. I wasn't super strong, super fast, or super smart. I wasn't a hero, or a princess, or a person strong enough to escape the darkness. I was average. I was short, gullible, and clumsy. I was just me—nothing special or different to it. And for that, I didn't see why I deserved him. I didn't. But, I was also selfish, I realized, because he deserved someone a lot more, and I wasn't willing to give him up just yet.

He deserved someone who could keep up with him. He deserved someone who didn't fracture their arms, or get scared by annoying men in cloaks. He deserved someone who didn't have nightmares, someone who was able to keep a smile though thick and thin. Someone that was the opposite of me.

I had already came to terms with the fact that he made me weak. I had no resolve when it came to him. I had no thought process. He made me believe in anything and everything. When it came to him, I had fear . . . Not only the fear of losing him, but the fear of losing the guy I had dedicated years to. My best friend. I couldn't let someone else, be it a princess or anything of the likes, have him. Surely, for that I was incredibly selfish.

I had leaned up on the tips of my toes the moment his head tiled down. There were no thoughts. There were no worries. There was only a voice in the back of my mind telling me to let him go. But, I couldn't. Not even as the tip of his nose moved along mine could I find the will to. Our lips had brushed against one anothers' moments later.

 _I deserved to be happy, too._

"Hey, we have better things to do than you two fondling each other in the corner!"

We broke apart before we even had a chance to fully touch. Sora released me with the most irritated groan I had heard from anyone. I bit my lip to keep from laughing as he whipped around to glare at the duck. Donald stood perfectly in view, his arms crossed, and tapping his foot impatiently. All that managed to do was annoy the boy further.

"Donald, get out of here!" Sora glared.

Donald rolled his eyes. He gave in, though, leaving us alone like Sora had wished. But, by that time, the damage had already been done. Sora was red in the face, glaring at the spot even though the duck wasn't there anymore. My resolve not to laugh had crumbled. It had caught him off guard; he looked down at me incredulously at my fit of giggles.

"We should go," I said.

He sighed, but nodded. He said a few words that he probably had been hoping I didn't hear. However, I did. I just chose to walk back over to the group with a smile on my face like I hadn't heard anything. It was bad enough that we had been walked in on. He didn't need anymore embarrassment.

"I was _this_ close . . ."

* * *

 **Fun Fact of the Chapter: Along with Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, there was supposed to be another Keyblade Master named Ignis, but she was later taken out as she was deemed unnecessary.**

 **~ Insane**


	26. Sunset

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to its rightful owners.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: SUNSET**

 **SASUKE**

 **"The sky takes on shades of orange during sunrise and sunset, the colour that gives you hope that the sun will set only to rise again."**

 **— Ram Charan**

* * *

 **MY TIME WAS** endless.

Not literally, but figuratively. My mind explored places that no one dared to venture. It roamed to the edges of space that held the most questions left unanswered. I was a philosopher in that aspect, always questioning what was, what is, and what will be. It was how I spent a great deal of my time. Because of that, my thoughts would be eternal.

I often thought about the way other people see the world. I thought about if they saw shapes upon the clouds, or the bees that flocked and collected from flowers. If they thought about the who's, the what's, the where's, the why's—everything—and if they were content with only that knowledge. My best thoughts came to me whenever we were traveling through space. The dark abyss forced me to relive scenarios and to recollect data I had analyzed during our adventure. It was an oblivion, something my mind will never encounter.

There was something special about it. The way the stars twinkled, hiding behind swirls of blues, purples, and greens across the atmosphere. It was as if I had came across them all before. Perhaps in a different life, if all were to be magical like that. Perhaps we had been up in the passageways long enough for me to have crossed paths with them before. Still in yet, they made me wonder . . . wonder if I had set my eyes on a sky this magnificent, and if other people will ever get the chance to.

My gaze roamed over to where Sora sat on the other end of the Gummi Ship. His body was slumped over to rest his forehead against the cool window. His eyes were looking out at the multiple colors that made the space around us; he appeared at peace for some reason. Not that there was anything wrong with it. A peace of mind just seemed to be the last of his thoughts nowadays.

I cracked a small smile. _Sora, just what goes through that head of yours?_

There was a sound of static that echoed through the ship. It could have only came from _one_ place. During our last adventure, we had been guided through problems with the Gummi Ship by none other than Chip and Dale. Donald had explained to me that they were brothers who ran the mechanics back on their world. They often gave us insight on how to fix things with the vessel, or if anything suspicious came up on their radars. The same went for our current adventure. They had told us that they were glad to see us back in action, and that they'd let us know if new problems were to arise. If they were contacting us now, it meant . . .

Everyone's attention was pulled away from what they had been doing. Sora's eyes left the window to peer into the front seat. Goofy sat up straight in a newfound nervousness. I had leaned forward a bit so that I could hear the speakers better. We were all invested in what was to come; something must have gone wrong if they were reaching out to us.

Chip's—or maybe Dale's—voice was coated in static. "Something new came up on our radar," he announced. "Normally, we wouldn't care about new worlds, but this one is just odd."

Donald made a confused face as if they could actually see it. "What do you mean?"

"It's Twilight Town," the buzzing speakers answered. "Yup, we can see it. It's back again."

Twilight Town. It was the place this chapter of our lives had began. It was the world in which we had woken up from our eternal rests. It was the place that I had gotten a true taste of sadness—the place I had witnessed Sora cry over people he did not know. It was the home of those kids, as well. There must have been a reason as to why it had came back to us. Worlds just didn't seem to appear for no reason.

"Well, where is it?" Sora suddenly asked.

Chip—or Dale—took a second to find the answer. "It's about forty minutes away from your current position. I could send directions, if you want."

Donald nodded. "Please."

I was growing anxious as I leaned back into my seat. Twilight Town was quite an eventful world. Though we had been there for no longer than two hours tops, a lot of things took place there. A lot of which had occurred in a certain abandoned mansion. I fingered a lock of my hair. Hopefully, it's reappearance wasn't for reasons dangerous and questionable.

* * *

 **IT WAS AS** quiet as the last time we were here.

Roads lined with homes and stores were slanted from the hills they were created upon. Streetlights cast soft, yellow hues on every pathway. The sky was painted in shades of oranges, pinks, and blues; the sun was setting slowly in the distance. It blew around cool breezes throughout every corner. If I had not been here before, I would have thought this world was a gentle one.

There was nothing out of the ordinary. We had passed an iconic yellow and orange train making its rounds through the town. An elderly woman stood outside with her cat as they watched the beautiful scenery above. A few teenagers were walking about, complaining of homework they had yet to complete. The scent of vegetables had stuck around one particular street. It caused Goofy's stomach to rumble. We kept walking after promising him that we'd pick up food before we left.

We were a few minutes into our silent stroll when we heard a voice. It was a bit on the higher-pitched side; they sounded panicked and scared. Raced footsteps echoed off the road we were on. It wasn't usually a good sign. If there was panic, there was always something to cause it. Be it Heartless or Nobodies—a personal favourite of this world—it could have been trouble.

My suspicions were proved to be correct. A kid ran past us through the street. Their pitch black arms were flailing; their steps were clumsy and scrambled. It was no one that I recognized. A yellow hat sat on top of their head. It sort of shielded away their black, featureless face and bright, golden eyes. They resembled a Heartless upon first glance. But, I had never known a Heartless to scream . . . to beg for help, for that matter.

They ran as fast as their legs could carry them. "H-help! The sandlot! It's Seifer!" they cried. "Somebody please help us!"

Sora looked over at the three of us. "Sounds like we've got trouble."

Perhaps there _was_ a reason this world had decided to turn up again. We were right on time, too.

Donald started off in the direction the kid had came from. We followed behind him instantly. The kid didn't sound the least bit happy about the happenings going on where he was. In fact, one would have thought someone died the way they were screaming at the top of their lungs.

It was our area of expertise, I supposed. It was where we came in—heroes (depending on who you asked) ever on the journey to ridding worlds of the lurking darkness. It was our job to ease the troubles scattered throughout the passageways. It was what we did best. It didn't matter who it was, where it was, or how we did it, we always made sure that we did the right thing in the end. That being said, in this circumstance, the right thing to do was to get to the sandlot and help the person named Seifer.

It was an easy feat to get lost in Twilight Town. There was tons of different corners, pathways, and alleys that led to places we didn't know how to get out of. Some led to trains and stations, some led to stores and homes. It was just the way the golden town operated. Fortunately for us, Donald had remembered some of the way around, claiming that the sandlot could be reached through the market place. Though, where the market place _was_ , was beyond any of us.

Goofy's idea had been to follow the trail from which the frantic kid had came from. He was the only one who had seen where he came from. The rest of us knew which direction, but Goofy knew the place, so we rushed after the dog's instructions. We had ended up in the market place seconds later. _It was a lot simpler than I thought._

The market place led into three different directions: the way we came, the train station, and the sandlot. I knew that much much due to each pathway holding a sign above it's entry. Scenarios ran through my head where people constantly got lost around the town, demanding signs to be put up so they'd at least knew where they were going. It would have been a good explanation. But, it didn't really explain why the market place was the only area with actual directions.

Three sets of rushed feet zoomed passed me. I made it my own mission to keep up with them as I sprinted into the sandlot. Still and yet, they got there before me, and they saw what lied ahead way before I got the chance to catch up.

It was the Nobodies that caused the kid to react the way he did. His screams for help were justified; the people I could only guess to be his friends were down for the count. They laid exhausted and defeated on the ground while the Nobodies eerily danced around their bodies. Two of the teens—a small blue-haired girl and a boy larger than the average high school-er—were unconscious. The third one—a boy whom covered his head of wild, blond strands with a dark beanie—was struggling to reach for his weapon. He was attempting to keep fighting a war he had already lost. It was no wonder why their friend had left to find reinforcements. The gliding Nobodies had the group beat.

Sora ran forward to shielf the blond from any further attacks. With his shining Kingdom Key suddenly in hand, he took a defensive stance against the creatures trapping them in a circle. Donald, Goofy, and I followed in his steps. My hands curled into a fist to summon the will to help protect the teenagers. Light flashed around the field until it faded away to leave my Keyblade within my grip. It couldn't have been any sooner, too; the only way to save those guys was by defeating everything that they couldn't. That much was obvious.

"We'll take it from here," Sora told the boy.

The blond seemed reluctant, but eventually gave into our assistance. He sent us a nod before he allowed his body to fall limp onto the ground.

The several Nobodies diverted their attention from the group of teenagers to us, having found someone else to fight. The battle started off with a bang after that. Literally—Donald summoned a storm of thunder to shock anything evil surrounding us. It managed to do some damage despite most of them twisting their forms around the volts. Not that the movements did anything to save them. Sharing looks of determination, Sora and I rushed into our offensive attacks, and Goofy remained locked up in his defense.

These particular types of Nobodies were my least favourites because of the fact that they never stayed still. When I struck them with my Keyblade, their limbs contorted at odd angles that made it hard for me to get a second hit in . . . let alone a third. They spun around to kick their legs at me as a counterattack. It left me a fraction of a second to roll out of the way; their kicks were lethal since their limbs were sharp. I had yet to be hit by one, but I couldn't rely on ducking and rolling forever.

One Nobody in the group seemed to realize that. It swung it's legs at me, which I dodged, before swinging its arms all in the same motion. I didn't have time to get out of the way of both attacks. Their arms were sharp enough to cut deep into my skin if they so wished. If I slipped up it would be over. I maneuvered myself to block against the hits the best that I could. Thankfully it never came to that, for Goofy appeared in front of me, using his shield to reflect any harm that the Nobody could've dealt. I sent the dog a smile of appreciation. He had really saved me there.

As the number of dancing Nobodies dwindled down to zero, the three of us grew more confident in our fights. If this were any other time, they would have came back then times fold—another thing that everyone hated about fighting them.

It was Donald who finished the last one off with a burst of flames from his staff. Yet, we didn't get the chance to rejoice in their riddance like we expected. They spawned again; I had spoken too soon. However, what came back wasn't the skinny Nobodies prior. The ones that made their appearances were double the size of them. Their silvery exterior was coated in a gold hue to match the giant, T-shaped swords they were equipped with. Swords in which were _too_ heavy, I gathered, because they used them to drag themselves around like their couldn't use their legs.

They jumped into the air in fits of twirls and grand gestures. And in the blink of an eye, they came raining back down with their weapons barred. I shoved Goofy out of the way of one coming for him. He nodded a thank you. It was the least I could do for someone who saved me only minutes ago.

There were four of the bigger Nobodies. One for each of us. We ran off in opposite directions to commence in our own battles.

These opponents were a lot more defenseless against my Keyblade attacks. My enemy did nothing but stand there as I unleashed all of the strength I had onto it. Though, it soon got fed up with me winning, and lifted its weapon high before swinging it down at me. My body twisted out of the way in time to dodge the attack and keep going with my own. It was a constant cycle of the same dodge-hit-dodge-hit routine. After getting the hang off with, the Nobody disappeared in a cloud of light.

I glanced around the sandlot once I was done. Sora was done with his enemy and had proceeded to help Donald finish off. He had defeated his opponent a bit before I could finish mine. Goofy was putting away his shield upon noticing how the two didn't need any further assistance. I would have gone to do _something_ , but Donald delivered the final blow to the Nobody faster than I could make my way to that side of the area.

Shockingly, no more re-spawned after that.

The four of us moved to meet each other in the middle. The battle was over, and the main concern now was the people we had came to save in the first place. I could only hope that they were okay as my eyes gazed around the sandlot in search of them. They were nowhere to be seen. The blond must have helped guide his friends out of the way so they wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. It was a good thing in terms of safety.

"Impressive."

I felt my blood run cold, then.

It shouldn't have came as a surprise to anyone. It happened every time those mysterious voices made themselves known in the worlds across the passageways. The low octaves and ominous words were something that my nerves wouldn't get accustomed to. It didn't matter how many times we encountered them. It always set off what felt like a fire alarm within my blood stream, boosting my adrenaline in ways that I couldn't decide between scared or terrified. It was the tone that usually belonged to someone in the Organization XIII.

The four of us glanced around in search of whoever it was. We didn't have to look very far—the person stood at the other end of the sandlot as if they had been there watching all along. With their black hood thrown over their head, it was hard to tell what exactly the person wanted. But, judging by the shivers racing up my spine, my flight-or-fight instinct didn't find anything pleasant.

I wished I could ask myself why. I wished I could find the answers as to the reason my body reacted the way it did. We had never encountered the Organization XIII before this journey, so there was no reason for me to be afraid and the boys to not be. What was wrong with me that wasn't with them? Why did my bones rattle and shake while they were on guard? Why was I traumatized by people I didn't know?

"By the way," the man started, his voice deep, calm, and slightly grainy. "Have you seen a man named Axel? I expect he's here somewhere."

Sora was quick to respond, his fight clenching tighter around the handle of his Keyblade. "Like I care," he snapped.

The man ignored the boy's sour tone. "You see, Axel's no longer acting in our best interest."

My brows furrowed at the new information. Someone associated with the Organization XIII wasn't acting right. It was unknown to me whether that was a good or bad thing. The Organization themselves were a bad group of people from what I understood. If someone was ticking them off, they were either conforming to bend with the good guys, or getting too down and dirty for even the bad guys to accept.

"Is he with the Organization, too?" Goofy asked out of curiosity.

The man nodded once. "Yes."

Donald raised a brow. "You havin' a fight?"

"Not a very organized Organization . . ." Though Sora was by all means ready to fight, there was still a trace of teasing in his comment.

The Organization XIII was fighting with each other. I had collected that much from the short span of the conversation. Regardless, it was still a mystery whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. There was always that chance of the Organization deteriorating their numbers by themselves. There was always the chance of them dragging innocent people into their fights. Whichever way one looked at it, there was going to be a change in the way they did things from now on.

The man held up a gloved hand. His index finger pointed in our direction, and I involuntarily flinched at the movement, expecting something bad to come our way. But, nothing did. He simply pointed a finger at the brunet boy standing in front of us. The man had no intention of fighting at the moment, I concluded, but there was no way to judge with those guys. It still made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Don't let your guard down," his calming voice warned. "Axel will stop at nothing to turn you into a Heartless."

Sora let out an exasperated sigh, responding sarcastically, "Gee, thanks for looking out for us, Mister. But, I'm sure we can take care of ourselves just fine."

"Glad to hear it," the man said, and I found myself searching for the nonexistent traces of a joke in his tone. "Axel aside, it would break our hearts to hear something happened to you."

"Hearts? You don't have any hearts!" Donald quacked.

"True . . . We don't have hearts."

His hands raised up to reach for his hood. My eyes instinctively went wide, waiting to see what lied underneath that hood of his. And in one smooth tug of his fingers, the hood came off as strands of blue came barreling over his shoulders.

He was different from the rest. I could feel it deep within. The way the golden undertones in his irises glowed confused me to no end. Metal earring studs rested in his pointed ears, his blue brows were pulled low in a permanent scowl, and his tanned skin was void of blemishes except for the X-shaped scar from the bridge of his nose to his forehead . . . it all felt non-threatening. Not threatening as far as in looks, but not threatening as far as the way his features made me feel. Something told me he wouldn't hurt us . . . Something told me he was the first Organization member we'd come across that made me feel like I didn't have to be scared.

He was also familiar. In the same sense that I felt something towards the other members of the Organization, I felt something toward the blue-haired man standing in front of us. My eyes raked over his form in a blank stupor. In the moment I did so, his yellowy eyes peered into mine. Our connected stare only lasted for a second before he went back to Sora. Despite that, it felt like an eternity to me. The warm shades of orange that seemed to lie deep within his eyes were ones that I remembered . . . that I _thought_ I remembered. Though I couldn't remember when, where, or how, I just knew that this man was someone I'd met before.

" _I'm Marcella," the black-haired girl introduced. "That's Isa, Sasuke, and—"_

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. The man in front of us resembled a lot of the boy from my visions. The one Sora had claimed to be memories of some sorts. And if he was right . . . if they _were_ my old memories . . . that meant . . .

"But, we remember what it was like," the man continued. "That's what mkes us special."

Goofy frowned beside me. "Whaddaya mean?"

The man called upon a band of darkness to take his leave. I had barely noticed, my mind racing with questions and scenarios to put everything together. Just like the other members, he was planning to leave us confused and scatterbrained. However, before he left, I wanted to test my own theories, knowing I might not ever see the blue-haired man again. I wanted to see if this man was a piece of my past like Sora had suggested.

The thought of it was scaring me. Not because he was in the Organization XIII, but because if I _did_ know him, it would only arouse more questions. How was I tied to him somehow? How did our paths cross? How did I forget? That was what made me weak in the stomach. I would have been sure to vomit out of nervousness had it not been for the tint of bravery keeping me afloat. This was something that I had to do . . . for myself.

"We know very well how to injure a heart," the man explained. "Sora, you just on fighting those Heartless."

Sora, whom I just noticed had taken on a stance directly in front of me, whispered back to the three of us. "Let's jump in after him," he suggested.

"How come?" Donald mumbled back.

"I'm not sure, but maybe he'll lead us to the Organization's world."

Obviously, the man heard them. "Don't be reckless." He sighed. "Do you want to end up like Riku?"

Sora's body tensed up at the mention of our friend. It was a low-blow for sure, something that was strong enough to knock the boy down from his previous defensive nature. His eyes went wide and his breathing slowed. The hands around the handle of his Kingdom Key eased up their grip. The man had got him there; Riku was a special case that none of us knew how to react to.

The man took a step backwards. "If you do come across Axel . . . the only thing that should keep you out of harms way is the girl you're hiding behind you. Exploit her if you need to."

His head nodded over to where Sora had tucked me out of the line of sight. The boys turned to glance over at me in confusion. We all had the same expression written onto our features. Whoever this Axel person was . . . he was going to pop up sooner or later. On top of that, he wanted to turn Sora into a Heartless, and I was the only chance we had at getting him to give up. But, why _me_ of all people?

The man took another step backwards to leave. My voice caught in my throat at the thought of him going without me asking my questions. It was now or never.

I took a shaky side step from behind Sora. "I-Isa?" I stuttered.

His glowing eyes fitted down to mine once again. It was the name I remember being said in my vision, and it seemed to throw him off for a split second. Whether it was because that was his name, or because it was the first time that I had said something, I didn't know. He didn't give me time to think about it, either, for he broke eye contact soon after that, and retreated through his portal of darkness.

"Wait!" I shouted.

I ran forward to catch him before he could leave. However, Goofy grabbed onto my arm, not allowing me to get very far ahead. In the second it took the man to appear, it took him the same to be gone from sight. It reminded me just how dangerous what I tried to do was. I could have easily been separated from the group—snatched up into the darkness along with my unanswered questions. A sigh blew passed my lips. It may have been dangerous, but I probably would have been worth it.

 _Did I know him or not?_

Sora crossed his arms over his chest. His brows were knitted together while his eyes were squinted. He was just as puzzled about the conversation as I was, if not more. I couldn't blame any of them for that. After my outburst, I would have been lost, too. Though, there were just some things that I had to find out for myself.

"Who is Isa?" Donald asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I just . . . I just got a feeling . . . that he'd answer to that."

"Well, maybe ya got the wrong person," Goofy offered. "He didn't answer to it. Maybe that wasn't his name."

I nodded. Goofy was right. If that was his name, there would have at least been some kind of reaction to it. All the man did was stare at me and leave. It most likely hadn't been the boy from my memories. And now that it made sense—two and two were put together—I suddenly felt stupid for trying.

Sora scratched his head. "What did he mean _"end up like Riku_?"

The four of us stared at the spot the man had once stood in. We each had our own set of questions . . . questions that would have been answered had he decided to stick around for a moment longer. It was what the Organization did best. They jumbled up our thoughts so that we lost our minds, wondering about what was, what is, and what should have been. The blue-haired man had been better at it than the other ones we had encountered thus far.

"Hey, how 'bout you get out of my town now? You've caused enough trouble."

We turned our heads to find the source of the aggressive words. Standing to our left were the three teenagers that we had helped out. The blond stood in the middle, the boy and girl at either side of him as if he was the boss of their group. Like he was the one who gave out the orders. His teeth were clenched and his brows were scrunched, giving a more obvious view to the scar on his nose that reminded me a lot of Leon's. His blue-green eyes glared up something nasty as he crossed his toned arms over his chest. I sighed; so much for trying to help.

Donald returned the glare and stomped his foot. "Have it your way! C'mon, guys."

"Hold it!" the blond suddenly demanded.

Donald's face then and there was priceless. Not only did he not like being barked at, but he clearly didn't like the fact that the boy wanted something else from us every ten seconds. One moment he wanted us to get out, the next he wanted us to stay. He reminded me lot of Hayner in that aspect—so hot and cold that I didn't know how to keep up.

"Make up your mind!" Donald snapped.

The boy held something up for us to see. It was a trophy of some sorts, composed of blue swirls and different colors intertwined within its design. The golden plaque on the front had an image of a hand holding a weapon. It was beautiful, but I couldn't see why it was important right now. That being said, all four of us raised our brows in confusion.

"This goes to the strongest guy in Twilight Town," he clarified.

He was looking at Sora, so we turned to look at him, too. The brunet himself was shocked at the gesture. His eyes doubled in size and his jaw dropped as he pointed a finger at himself. _"Who, me?"_ his face seemed to ask. Then, he smiled, radiating warmth and gratefulness.

"Thanks," he replied. "but . . . we don't really need it."

Seifer must not have wanted to take no for an answer. He didn't look like the type of person to accept rejection, anyways. He didn't care that being announced the strongest didn't matter to Sora. He simply walked on forward, shoved the giant trophy into Goofy's arms, and kept walking passed us. The dog nearly fell over from the amount of force that was applied. I bit down my laughter as the other two teens followed Seifer out of the sandlot. I guessed he really didn't want that trophy anymore.

There was always spontaneous things happening in Twilight Town. Everyone had their own amazing personalities; no two people were exactly alike. Regardless of all the violence that gathered here, people still managed to make us smile. For that, I shouldn't have been as skeptical as I was about coming back. Even though we _did_ have to fight, seeing the town's citizens again was worth it.

"Oh! Hey, guys!"

We turned around yet again. It was just about the fourth random voice to greet us. No one in this town liked making their appearance before talking, I figured. Yet, as we laid eyes on the new person in front of us, I found myself glad that we got to hear this voice again before we left.

It was Pence. The messy, dark strands of his hair that weren't restricted by his headband blew around in the wind. His eyes were wide with just as much shock to see us as we were to see him. It was a good thing, too. He was our new friend. A minute later and we would have been on our way back to the Gummi Ship.

I smiled and sent the boy a wave. "Hey, long time no see."

"Heya, Sasuke," he greeted with a chuckle.

Sora's brows furrowed in thought. "Um . . . Pence, right?"

I sighed. It was just like Sora to forget his name. It had only been a few months since we last saw him.

"Right." Pence nodded, his tone suddenly turning urgent. "Do you know a girl named Kairi?"

 _What?_

All four of us jumped at the name. "K-Kairi?!" Sora stuttered out, his eyes as wide as saucers.

 _What the hell was she doing here? I thought they said she went home._

I nodded frantically. "Yeah, of course we know her! Is she here?!"

Pence nodded, too. "You'd better come to the station—"

We didn't wait to hear the rest of what he had to say. Or, more specifically, _I_ didn't wait. My legs broke off into a sprint before Pence could even finish his sentence. The boy followed soon after that, but by then, I was already out of the sandlot. I ran fast when I wanted to, and during times like this, my speed hit peaks it hadn't in months.

She was here. She was truly here in the world that we were in. It sounded silly when I thought about it; Kairi and I had been separated for so long that thoughts of us standing in the same place had seemed so distant and fake. A part of me felt like I was running into something that would turn out to be a let down. It felt like I would have to wait a century to be reunited with my best friend again. Yet, there was another part of me that couldn't contain the excitement—so much that it nearly hurt. If Kairi really was here, I wouldn't take it for granted.

My time was endless.

There were a lot of things that I wanted to say to her . . . wanted to show her. I wanted to hug her and apologize for not being able to do anything when she needed a hero. I wanted to tell her how much I missed her and how I still had her seashell jewelry with me on the Gummi Ship. I wanted to tell her how glad I was that she got to go home instead of me. I wanted to ask her how she was—how everyone was—and if she knew how much I honestly loved her. There was so much. If Kairi was here, I would make sure my time with her was endless. She would never leave again.

So, I ran—faster than my lungs could pump oxygen through my body. The trip to the train station was far and steep up the Twilight Town hill, but I didn't care. I tripped over my own two feet trying to race to where my best friend would be. I just wanted to catch up. Everyone was always leaving me, everyone was always faster than me, everyone had their own stories and journeys . . . and I hadn't been blessed with a story-line of my own. Which was okay for now. I just wanted to get to Kairi. I just wanted to be with my friends again. Was that too much to ask for?

The burning in my chest told me that it was.

I got the the train station by myself. My body had nearly doubled over from exhaustion, my hands resting on my knees as I attempted to get a grip on the air that I had lost on the way here. Despite that, my eyes darted around the area in search of the redhead. There was nothing.

The hill gave the perfect view of the sunset hanging overhead. Clouds twinkled with colors I had come all too familiar with these days. It was never sunrise, but sunset—the end to something spectacular. And as the others finally caught up with me, also excited with the possibility of seeing Kairi, I realized that things had been sunset for a long time.

We were drawing closer to the end of something beautiful.

"Hey!" someone called.

I stood up straight and walked over to where Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Pence were standing in front of the train station steps. Just in time, too, for Hayner and Olette ran up the hill to join us in our group. They both looked a little worn out upon first glance. A part of me wanted to hope that it was because of the run up here and not because of the news they had yet to tell us.

Sora was the first to speak. "Hey, so how do you know Kairi?" he asked the three.

My heart almost stopped when Hayner and Olette shared a worried glance. There was bad news coming up. I knew it. Something in my head told me not to get too worked up, and I had did it anyways. Now they were left with the task of letting me down.

"She was here," Olette answered.

"She was really here?!" Sora exclaimed.

Hayner nodded. "Yeah, and . . . she said she was looking for you guys."

I took a step closer to them. "So, where is she?"

"Well . . ." Olette started. "We were at the hang out spot. She had told us about how she knew you guys, and why she was looking for you. We told her to stick around because you were bound to come back. You said so yourself, Sora. But, then . . ."

"Then?" I asked, not a big fan of them drawing things out.

Hayner looked down at me with hooded blue eyes. "Some guy came out of the shadows. He had this black cloak on and bright red hair," he explained. "He said she had guts for jumping into the darkness. We tried to fight him off, but it was like . . . every punch we landed went right through him. I'm sorry guys, but . . ."

I didn't like the way this story was ending.

Olette finished it off for him. "He grabbed her and left through the shadows again. There was nothing we could do. We're sorry."

My eyes trailed down to the ground. The idea of her being here had me hopeful. I should have known that things wouldn't be that easy. Nothing ever was, for that matter. We always had to fight to make things right, and even though I was sad about her not being here, I was more disappointed in myself for getting my hopes up. Of course she wouldn't have lasted here long. Everything was one big game of tag.

I could do nothing but hope to find her in another world, or another one, or maybe another one. Just like us, she wasn't stationary. It taught me a lesson, though. Things were not to be rushed. I prayed that she was safe wherever she was. But, things happened for a reason, and when the time was right, I'd get the chance to be by my best friend's side again. Be it today, tomorrow, or years from now, I learned to wait for it.

Sora shook off his saddened expression when he saw our three friends. They were also staring at the ground, regret written on their faces for letting this happen. They were not to blame. Fate was—they had just gotten tangled into it. We all knew it wasn't their faults, but they still wore the guilt heavily on their shoulders.

"Hey, it's not your fault. C'mon, cheer up!" Sora tried to tell them, then slumped his shoulders. "Like _I_ can even say that . . ."

Goofy took a step closer to pat Sora on the back. They must have felt bad about the situation, too, considering they knew just how much the redhead meant to us. However, before he could get the chance to do so, Sora stomped his foot in determination. It sent the dog tumbling to the ground; he had been scared by the sudden action. Their antics brought a small smile to my face.

"I've gotta help Kairi," Sora declared.

It was then did we notice the small crystals rolling passed us on the ground. I glanced back at Goofy; he had dropped the trophy when Sora scared him, which resulted in the ornaments falling off. Hayner, Pence, and Olette bent down to pick the colorful items up. So did Sora, who bent down to pick up the blue one by my foot.

Perhaps it was out of instinct. Perhaps they had just now noticed how gorgeous the sunset in front of us was. Either way, they must have saw something that we didn't. Pence, Hayner, and Olette all raised the little crystals toward the sun shining in the distance. I watched on in fascination. Maybe they really did see something that we couldn't. Though, I _did_ see something that they hadn't. From where I stood, for a quick second of my imagination perhaps, Sora's spiky hair was the same color as the yellowy gold hanging in the sky.

Donald waved a hand in front of his face. "Sora?"

"Sora!" Goofy tried. "Are you okay?"

Sora shook his head as if to shake off the trance that he had been in. He lowered the hand containing the blue orb with a sigh. Something had happened to him in that head of his. That much was obvious. Nonetheless, my curiosity was replaced with amazement when the blue orb levitated out of his hand. It glowed a blinding white that was familiar to the four of us. The blue crystal was the Keyhole to this world.

The light flew up to the sky, and Sora took out his Keyblade. A few twirls later, a beam of light shot out of the Key. I closed my eyes before I could've seen what happened next. I already knew the light that followed would be bright, flashing across the sky in shades of purity. And it did like I predicted, ridding Twilight Town from the clutches of evildoers.

I opened my eyes once the light went away. Sora had already put his Keyblade up. The others were starting to recover from being momentarily blinded. All that the brunet could do was smile apologetically.

Pence shook his head a few times. "Wh-what just happened?"

"A new road has opened," Sora's voice was hopeful and matured as he spoke. "And Kairi and Riku are waiting somewhere along it."

Olette nodded. "You'd better hurry, then."

"You comin' back?" Hayner asked.

Sora held up his pinkie finger with a smile. "Promise."

He was feeling better. He must have came to a realization after locking the Keyhole. It was a good thing. While I had learned to live from experience, I wasn't all too sure that Sora had. Yet, here he was, showing me different each time.

We had exchanged our goodbyes soon after. Olette's hug was tight around me before they left; Hayner's was nothing more than a slightly rough slap against my shoulder. We had watched as our three friends retreated down the hill in silence, probably out of things to say now that we were going. Donald and Goofy went next, arguing about what they wanted to eat before we went. I moved to follow them, but stopped when I noticed that Sora wasn't moving.

I turned around to look up at him with questioning eyes. He was doing nothing more than watching the colors dance across the sunset in the sky. Despite putting on the front that he was okay after everything, it was clear that he was trouble inside about being let down. It was something that I could see all over his face.

Sighing slightly, I stepped over to stand beside him. The two of us stared up at the sky in silence; he didn't seem to mind that I had joined him. It wouldn't have been the first time we'd done it, but each time seemed more meaningful that the last. There was no wonder why he spent his time doing it. The sky sure did do a good job of relieving stress. It allowed the bad thought to carry away with the wind it blew. It was a reminder that even though things came to an end, they were bound to start back up again, just like the sunset and sunrise.

He looked down at me through the corner of his eye, then shook his head. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About?"

I turned to face him. He did the same, gazing down at me like I was crazy for wondering. It wasn't anything new to me. I had always wondered what fluttered through his head—wanted to know what he thought during the silence. It didn't matter if he was thinking about food, or sleeping, or even his parents, it all interested me.

He shook his head, so I reached up on the tips of my toes, wrapping my arms around his neck in a hug. He was reluctant at first, then allowed the contact. In fact, he own arms had wrapped around my waist. His chin found its usual spot on top of my head as his body relaxed into my embrace.

"It's okay, Sora," I told him softly. "There's nothing you can really do about these things."

He let out a breath. "I know. It's just draining."

Being the hero must have been. There were so many times were the promise of our friends had been dangled around in Sora's face, only for him to find out that he couldn't reach out long enough. There was also the stress of being the one to send Kairi home, and then finding out that she wasn't there anymore. I couldn't imagine how he was feeling inside. Still, I was sure that it all got tiring for him. Even more so that it did for me.

"Hey, what happens when the sun comes down?" I asked.

He snorted like I was joking with him. "Then it's nighttime."

"Do you think it's pretty at night."

"Yeah," he replied. "There's stars and the moon out. It's just as good as daytime."

I nodded against his chest. "Well, though it feels like the sun is going down right now, just know that nighttime isn't that bad, either."

He pulled back with a laugh. "I haven't gotten a pep talk like that sine I was, like, twelve, Sasuke. Really?"

Even though he was laughing, I was just glad that the concerned aura around him had dissipated. My pep talk may have been childish, but at least it worked.

I shot him a guilty smile. _Can't blame a girl for trying._

Sora had helped me a countless amount of times. Every time I needed someone, every time I felt doubt or sadness, he was there to provide words of encouragement and his iconic smile. Switching the roles this time made me realize why he had always done it for me. There was a sense of strength and satisfaction that came along with knowing you picked up someone when they were falling. Especially him—he made me feel like a superhero without the powers, and all I had to do was be there. And I wanted to be there for him no matter what the situation was.

One of the hands that had been wrapped around my waist trembled. It had gone unnoticed, of course, long forgotten in the context of our conversation. It was beyond me as to why he was trembling in the first place. For the entire time that I had known him, he had never been self-conscious or nervous when it came to simple hugs. But, I supposed it wasn't just that. The hand retreated from my waist to find a new spot caressing my cheek, and I felt my breath catch in my lungs. He was trembling because he was debating on if it was okay to touch me.

Warm fingertips guided stray hairs out of my face. Every touch was so light, nearly the opposite of everything else he did. The palm of his hand had formed to the shape of my cheek to stay in place. Just barely was I allowed to feel the callouses in his fingers from fighting so long. Just barely was I allowed to feel his thumb sweep across my cheekbones, absentmindedly drawing patterns in the pale skin that I wished would last.

My eyes raised to meet his, both wondering why he was doing this and holding interest in it. It was no easy feat. I was all for getting shy and nervous when it came to Sora in these situations. He was prone to it, too. He had told me so. But, he was still braver than I was in many, many ways. I knew because once I looked up into his eyes, his were already on me, waiting to get a reaction . . . waiting to see if I would actually look at him . . . waiting to see if I had any doubts.

I was scared. When it came to these things, I was terrified. Not of Sora, but my lack of experience thereof. I had never been exposed to the same affections as he had. He was always one step ahead of me, had one more story to tell, and it scared me that I was now becoming one of his stories. It scared me to think that he liked me and I liked him back. The concept was so foreign—he was the first time I had ever experienced what it was like to be _with_ someone.

His gaze was unwavering. Not once did he try to break eye contact, trapping me in the ocean of blue that he had to offer. I tried not to look too far into the emotion behind them, knowing that I would spook myself out of his arms if I buried myself in too deep. But, the nerves deep in the pit of my stomach developing told me otherwise. I couldn't leave—I didn't want to. I wanted to stay and face my fears, to overcome the fact that this chapter in our relationship was new and terrifying, to show him that I wasn't scared of it anymore, to show that there were no doubts, and hopefully my eyes conveyed that.

Surely, it did; his head dipped down to close the gap our differences in heights had made. My eyes had fluttered shut the moment he began to tread the distance. He had tilted his head a bit once his nose had bumped against mine. Whether it was by accident or on purpose, I didn't know, but it added to the experience, making my toes curl with anticipation. Then was his lips, touching mine so softly that I wasn't sure I felt them at first. The light contact forced the nerves in my lips to stand on end, shocked at the feeling. Though, it didn't go passed that. He stilled there, steady breaths fanning over my face, waiting for me to do something. He probably thought I was having second thoughts.

I wasn't.

In the same way his lips had brushed against mine, I applied the same pressure, if not a bit more. I wanted him to know that I was fine with it. I was fine with everything he did simply because he was him. He was a good person on the side no matter how many strands of darkness lingered in the far, far depths of his heart. I had been given the opportunity to experience this . . . and I was glad that it was with him. Thankfully, he got the hint, moving his mouth away only to press against mine harder this time, fueled with the newfound confidence he saw in me.

His lips were always soft and warm. The last time we had kissed, he was well into the stages of a busted lip, and banged up from his encounter with the Organization XIII. I hadn't minded that three-and-something months ago. But, now that he was fully healed and not having to concentrate of injuring his already bruised face, it was something I realized had held him back a lot. This time was better than the last.

The hand that had been holding me against him in our continued hug went higher to press flat against the middle of my back. My hands remained where they were around his neck. It would have felt weird to move them, not knowing where else to put them in this case. All the while, he had no problem keeping me against him. We were close enough that I could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Maybe even his heart beating if I concentrated well enough. I could only hope that he couldn't hear mine—my heart rate had increased to something vicious.

He changed his approach as I parted my lips in attempt to control my thudding heart. He had pulled back at that moment, coming back in to place his top lip between both of mine. It left my bottom lip between the two of his. I couldn't help the squeak that surfaced when he had pulled my bottom lip into his mouth, flattening our lips together in ways that made my toes curl in my shoes. And surprisingly, he took that as a sign that we had done enough. He released me, and my bottom lip snapped back against my teeth with an audible _click_.

My face was red again. I could feel the way it sneaked up my ears and crept down my neck in shades of crimson. It felt like everything was on fire as my stomach tied knots hard to untangle. My lips felt hot and stung with the absence of his. It happened every time; his painfully slow kisses left me dazed, shy, and excited at the same time.

Unfortunately, the shy part had chose to take over once he settled back into the position we started in. My eyes slowly opened to look anywhere else but into his. It didn't help that there was an ever-setting sun beside us. I'm sure it did well to make my face appear even brighter, the romance having been a bit too much for my nerves to handle at once.

He still held my face in his hand, this thumb lightly traces stars and circles into my cheekbones again. He wasn't scared to look at me, so why should I have been? As if my pupils were being forced, my eyes slid to peer back up at him. His had widened a fraction at the visual contact. He was more than likely shocked that I was showing this amount of courage. But, I wanted him to know that I wasn't scared to be with him. Now he understood that, blue eyes searching through my gray ones before the corners of his lips pulled upwards.

Now, _we_ could progress forward.

"So, where do _we_ go from here?" he asked, softly, a complete subject change from what we had initially been discussing.

I found it hard to talk. Though we had only kissed perhaps four times just now, they all had managed to steal the air from my lungs. They managed to steal the ground beneath me, too, for it took all of my will to keep my legs from shaking. There was no backing down now.

I swallowed. "I don't know. You have more experience in this field than I do."

"Yeah, but, you're different." His face was mere inches from mine, his eyes darting back and forth between mine to see if I was uncomfortable with the conversation. "I don't wanna mess things up with you."

It was times like this that reminded me that Sora wasn't too different from me. Albeit braver, he still got shy, anxious . . . all of it. I wasn't the only one who had been afraid. He was facing his own fears head-on. He had just done a better job of hiding it. He had told me already that I made him nervous. Still, he wanted to give this a chance as much as I did, regardless of how jumpy it made him. It was a two-way street, after all. It required effort from both sides, and I decided then and there that this was truly what I wanted.

My response called upon the last bit of courage I had within. "When the time is right, I guess we'll know," I replied.

When it came to solidifying what we were, based on labels and superficial titles that became a damn near requirement in this day and age, I wanted to let it happen by itself. There was no reason to rush into something that we both wanted to succeed. Things like that took time, I supposed. Hurrying up the process was only going to make it crash and burn.

He nodded with a sigh, letting his forehead fall against mine. "Fine by me."

His hand subtracted itself from where it held my face to brush a lock of my dark hair behind my ear. The digits had lingered on the tip of my ear for a moment, no doubt feeling the heat that had gathered there. But, instead of flinching away from his advances in a fit of shivers, I watched as his eyes simply stared into mine. He must have been thinking about something because he didn't move; his blinks were slow and sparse. That was, until his hand trailed up my hair to ruffle the strands at the top of my head.

"Thanks for the pep talk, by the way," he said, moving his forehead from mine. "I'm glad you're here, Sasuke."

Trying to cover up the fact that my stomach was doing leaps from his praise, I ducked out of his clutches, embarrassed. "You know my hair gets tangled fast," I piped. "You're going to mess it all up."

"Oh, by doing this?"

Both his hands came up to my head this time. They created a hell-storm on my head, forcing the strands in this way and that for his own amusement. I struggled to get away from him. However, ever time I moved, he followed, laughing at my expense. I dodged out of his reach, and he retaliated by putting me into a headlock. I shrieked when the endless noogies began to rain down on me.

"Hey, cut it out!" I yelped, trying not to catch his contagious laughter. "What are you, six?"

I squeezed out of his grip. Thankfully, he didn't come for me again this time. My hands darted up to fix my hair, and I groaned upon my fingers getting stuck in the strands. He had done exactly what I didn't want him to do. Now I was going to have to go through the struggle of combing it out on the Gummi Ship.

I began the walk to the Gummi Ship, thinking that he was following behind me. Curses of how untangling my hair was going to take forever spilled from my lips. I had succeeded in smoothing ti down, but running my fingers through it was a whole different story. Nonetheless, I stopped walking when I didn't hear another pair of footsteps, turning around to see what he was doing.

He was looking up at the sunset again. His hair blew a bit in the wind, the sun sky in competition to see whether it or his eyes were bluer. Reflections from the chain around his neck sparkled in my line of sight. He appeared so concentrated . . . so beautiful that I had to look away to keep my blush at bay. Especially after all that we had just done.

"Sora," I called out. "Aren't you coming?"

He glanced over at me with wide eyes before a small smile fitted across his lips. "Yeah, I'm coming," he assured.

I waited for him to catch up with me. He did seconds later, my eyes following him as he marched up to my side, his hands buried deep in his pockets. Still, I couldn't shake the questions of what he was thinking about. Sora's head was an uncharted territory, I decided. There was absolutely no way of knowing. And perhaps, maybe that's what made him all the better.

* * *

 **I am in my last year of school. When I came into it, I was like, "Oh, it isn't going to be that bad. I'm going to update like crazy." -_- As you can see, that was NOT the case. I've never had to study this hard in school my entire life. But, I graduate in about a month and a half, so then I'll be able to throw out constant updates. I apologize for going M.I.A., but, to make up for it, we got the Sasuke/Sora time that had been cut short in the last chapter! :)**

 **Fun Fact of the Chapter:** **As stated in the character database page I have saved, Sasuke's official height is 5'3" 1/2.**

 **~ Insane**


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